electroconvulsive therapy

noun

: electroshock therapy

Examples of electroconvulsive therapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After a recent dark period, the singer turned to electroconvulsive therapy to treat her mental health. — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026 It can be treated with antipsychotics and electroconvulsive therapy, which runs an electric current through the brain. — Louisa Moller, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 Some research shows electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or short electric shocks to the brain, may also help. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 31 July 2026 Most major mental health treatments — such as some antidepressants or electroconvulsive therapy — were accidentally discovered when initially being used for other diseases, particularly the bacterial infection tuberculosis, Bentzley said. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 15 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for electroconvulsive therapy

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of electroconvulsive therapy was in 1943

Rhymes for electroconvulsive therapy

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Browse Nearby Words

electroconvulsive
electroconvulsive therapy
electrocorticogram
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Cite this Entry

“Electroconvulsive therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electroconvulsive%20therapy. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Medical Definition

electroconvulsive therapy

noun
: the treatment of mental illness and especially depression by the application of electric current to the head of a usually anesthetized patient that induces unconsciousness and convulsive seizures in the brain
—abbreviation ECT

called also electric shock, electric shock therapy, electroshock therapy

More from Merriam-Webster on electroconvulsive therapy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about electroconvulsive therapy

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