Electroconvulsive Therapy -- A Modern Medical Procedure

Electroconvulsive therapy is more firmly established than ever as an important method of treating certain severe forms of depression. Less than a decade ago, a review article in the Journal was considered necessary to provide a perspective on electroconvulsive therapy for nonspecialists and to help respond to the attacks of those who wished to limit or even ban its use1. At that time, there was extensive evidence of the efficacy of the treatment as it is generally administered, but acknowledged uncertainty about the details of electrode placement and stimulus characteristics needed to achieve the best balance between efficacy and . . .