When most people hear about electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, it typically conjures terrifying images of cruel, outdated and pseudo-medical procedures. Formerly known as electroshock therapy, this ...

Electroconvulsive therapy is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in ...

My mother is in her late 50s. Her episodes of depression have gone from bad to worse over the years. Her psychiatrist has always been responsive to questions my brother or I might ask and open to ...

This post is part two in a series. Part one is titled "Treating the Seriously Mentally Ill." I was called to evaluate Dorothy after she had been admitted to the ward from the ER, where her family had ...

When Caroline Marinaro was advised that electroconvulsive therapy might be able to help the severe depression she has had for 20 years, her first thought was of actor Jack Nicholson violently shaking ...