While shock therapy is generally a safe and effective treatment for depression, people undergoing ECT may experience some side effects. During ECT, healthcare professionals place small electrodes ...

However, ECT comes with a serious but temporary side effect: It typically causes a dip in several cognitive abilities, including attention, executive function, and learning and memory. This ...

Like many psychiatric treatments, the mechanism of action for electric shock therapy — or electroconvulsive therapy — is not well understood. The therapy involves using controlled electrical ...