Abstract

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by substantial gray matter loss in the brain. The disease was very mysterious and misunderstood in the early 1900s. As a result, there were outlandish ways used in treating patients suffering with schizophrenia. One of the popular treatments used was electroshock therapy. Electroshock therapy is the method of using small electric currents to reverse symptoms of mental illness. Although it was used in the early to mid-20th century, it is still used today. This paper will explore the efficacy of treating schizophrenia with electroshock therapy, now known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).