Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as electroshock therapy, is used to treat psychiatric conditions. Most mental conditions can be traced to some kind of chemical imbalance in the brain. What electroconvulsive therapy does is send electric currents into the brain. These act like electrical signals which the brain can interpret, causing mild seizures. These seizures can help to change the brain chemistry, releasing neurotransmitters that send signals to the brain cells, putting right the chemical imbalance and thus treating the psychiatric condition.

Electroconvulsive theory is still controversial today because when it was first introduced, the treatments were conducted without anesthesia, and with very high doses of electricity.

Modern electroconvulsive therapy is quite different. Patients are first screened by doctors to see if they can physically handle electroconvulsive therapy. If they pass the test, they are again examined by an anesthesiologist to check if their heart and lungs can handle the anesthesia.

When the patient is deemed healthy enough to undergo treatment, they are given anesthesia to relax their muscles and put them in a sleep-like state. A precise amount of electricity, lasting only 1 to 2 seconds, is sent into their heads to create a seizure. After the seizure the patient is observed for a few hours and then he or she can get up and go home.