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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Definition

ECT is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful.

Analogy

Think of ECT like hitting the reset button on your computer when it's acting up and nothing else seems to fix it. It can help clear out any issues and get things running smoothly again.

Related terms

Depression: A mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities; it's like having a computer virus that slows down your system and makes you unable to enjoy using it.

Anesthesia: This is what doctors use to make you sleep during procedures like ECT – consider it as putting your computer into sleep mode while updates are being installed.

Seizure: An uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain; imagine if there was an electrical surge causing all programs on your computer to open at once - that's similar to what happens during a seizure.