Meanings
plural electroconvulsive therapies
- uncountableusuallymedicineA biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient, with the noted side effect of memory loss.
The therapeutic effects of low and high energy electroconvulsive therapies are quite different.
Synonyms: ECT, Edison's medicine, electroshock therapy, shock therapy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient, with the noted side effect of memory loss.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan electroxoc
- electroxocbiomedical therapy using electrical current
Chinese Mandarin 電痙攣療法 /电痉挛疗法, 電休克療法 /电休克疗法
- 電痙攣療法 /电痉挛疗法 (diànjìngluán liáofǎ)biomedical therapy using electrical current
- 電休克療法 /电休克疗法 (diànxiūkè liáofǎ)biomedical therapy using electrical current
- 電抽搐治療 /电抽搐治疗 (diànchōuchù zhìliáo)biomedical therapy using electrical current
- 電驚厥療法 /电惊厥疗法 (diànjīngjué liáofǎ)biomedical therapy using electrical current
Czech elektrokonvulzivní terapie
- elektrokonvulzivní terapiebiomedical therapy using electrical current
Dutch elektroconvulsietherapie, elektroshocktherapie
- elektroconvulsietherapiebiomedical therapy using electrical current
- elektroshocktherapiebiomedical therapy using electrical current
- elektroshockbiomedical therapy using electrical current
Finnish sähköshokkihoito
- sähköshokkihoitobiomedical therapy using electrical current
French électroconvulsivothérapie
- électroconvulsivothérapiebiomedical therapy using electrical current
Greek ηλεκτροσπασμοθεραπεία
- ηλεκτροσπασμοθεραπεία (ilektrospasmotherapeía)biomedical therapy using electrical current
Hungarian elektrosokk-terápia
- elektrosokk-terápiabiomedical therapy using electrical current
Italian elettroshockterapia
- elettroshockterapiabiomedical therapy using electrical current
Polish terapia elektrowstrząsowa, elektrowstrząsy
- terapia elektrowstrząsowabiomedical therapy using electrical current
- elektrowstrząsybiomedical therapy using electrical current
Portuguese terapia eletroconvulsiva, terapia de choque
- terapia eletroconvulsivabiomedical therapy using electrical current
- terapia de choquebiomedical therapy using electrical current
Romanian terapie electroconvulsivă, terapie-electroșoc
- terapie electroconvulsivăbiomedical therapy using electrical current
- terapie-electroșocbiomedical therapy using electrical current
Russian электросудорожная терапи́я
- электросудорожная терапи́я (elektrosudorožnaja terapíja)biomedical therapy using electrical current
Spanish terapia electroconvulsiva
- terapia electroconvulsivabiomedical therapy using electrical current
Swedish elchock
- elchockbiomedical therapy using electrical current
Cite this entry
electroconvulsive therapy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electroconvulsive%20therapy
“electroconvulsive therapy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electroconvulsive%20therapy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “electroconvulsive therapy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electroconvulsive%20therapy.
Source: electroconvulsive therapy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.