Electroconvulsive therapy ECT is the treatment of choice for very severe depression that does not respond to drug therapy. This man has been anesthetized (so he will be unconscious), given a muscle relaxant (so he will not show muscle spasms when the shock is given), and provided with a tube so that his breathing will not be impeded. The shock will be applied to the right side of his brain through the black leads shown in the photo. Unilateral right-hemisphere ECT disrupts memory much less than does ECT applied across the whole brain.

Will & Deni McIntyre/Science Source