Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a controlled medical procedure that involves inducing a generalized seizure in a patient to produce a therapeutic effect. ECT has been used for over 70 years and continues to be more effective than antidepressants for affective disorders. However, despite its long history of effectiveness, ECT is considered a controversial treatment because it involves intentionally delivering electrical shocks to a patient's brain. In this essay, I will discuss what exactly ECT is, its history, indications, side effects, and much more. Electroconvulsive therapy began in 1938 by Italian neurologist Ugo Cerletti. Together with Lucio Bini, Cerletti was able to quickly and successfully cause a widespread crisis via electricity. All this was achieved while maintaining positive therapeutic results. It was from there that ECT was invented and quickly gained popularity because it could effectively relieve symptoms at a time when there were no other alternative methods. It was the beginning of a new era of therapeutic optimism in psychiatry. (Kavanagh & McLoughlin, 2009) Until the late 1960s, ECT treatment was used very frequently and patients were not clear on why they were receiving this treatment. There was no medical evaluation, monitoring, or teaching about ECT. Patients were most often electrocuted in open asylum rooms, simply strapped to beds without anesthesia or muscle relaxants. According to Cyrzyk (2013, p. 23), “many ECT patients felt mistreated, oppressed, punished, and damaged, all of which had a negative impact on the image of psychiatry in general. » Misconceptions about ECT treatment were highlighted in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975. This instills...... middle of paper ...... a. ECT treatment is a controlled medical procedure where a generalized seizure is induced. in order to produce a therapeutic effect. Created in 1938, ECT has been used to treat a variety of mental illnesses, including depression and schizophrenia. This procedure has many benefits, but it also has many side effects, such as memory loss, that may never be reversed. Like any other medical procedure, legal and ethical issues may also discourage the patient from considering ECT treatment. One of these ethical questions concerns the exact mechanism of action of treatments. There have been many theories, but no solid answers yet. Hopefully with continued research we will be able to understand how ECT works and potentially find a way to treat the patient without the adverse effects of memory loss..