No Evidence That ECT Works for Depression, New Review Shows

Sending an electrical current through the brain to trigger seizures is dangerous and lacks evidence

Electroconvulsive therapy has been used as a treatment for mainly women over 60 who haven't responded to other treatments for depression or other mental illness. Ruslan Huzau/Shutterstock

Many people will be familiar with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a historical treatment for “mental illness,” in which an electrical current is passed through the brain to trigger seizures, with the aim of somehow treating the illness.

In fact, ECT is still being administered to about a million people each year to treat severe depression, including about 2,500 in England, under anesthetic. The majority are women who are over 60 years of age.