Short for electro-convulsive therapy, a medical treatment for severe mental illness — most often deep depression that has not improved with medicine. A doctor sends a small electric current through the brain to cause a short seizure. The patient is asleep under anaesthetic and given medicine to relax the muscles, so they do not feel it and the body barely moves.

Short for electro-convulsive therapyelectro-convulsive therapy的縮寫，a medical treatment for severe mental illness是治療嚴重精神疾病的醫療方式——most often deep depression that has not improved with medicine最常見是用藥都沒有改善的重度憂鬱症。A doctor sends a small electric current through the brain醫生會讓一道微弱電流通過腦部to cause a short seizure引發一次短暫的癲癇發作。The patient is asleep under anaesthetic病人在麻醉下處於睡著的狀態and given medicine to relax the muscles並施打藥物讓肌肉放鬆，so they do not feel it所以他們不會感覺到，and the body barely moves身體幾乎不會動。

It is used today mainly when someone is very ill and other treatments have failed, and doctors report that it often works quickly.

It is used today主要用在mainly when someone is very ill and other treatments have failed一個人病得很重、其他治療都沒效的時候，and doctors report that it often works quickly而醫生表示它通常見效很快。

The word carries heavy feeling for many people, because in the past it was given without anaesthetic and sometimes without the patient's agreement, and old films show it as something cruel — so it is a sensitive subject, and the modern treatment is quite different from that picture. Memory loss around the time of treatment is a real and commonly discussed side effect.

The word carries heavy feeling for many people這個字對很多人來說帶著沉重的感覺，because in the past it was given without anaesthetic因為過去進行這種治療時不打麻醉and sometimes without the patient's agreement有時候也沒有經過病人同意，and old films show it as something cruel而舊電影還把它演得很殘忍——so it is a sensitive subject所以這是個敏感的話題，and the modern treatment is quite different from that picture而現代的治療方式跟那個印象很不一樣。Memory loss around the time of treatment治療前後的記憶喪失is a real and commonly discussed side effect是一個真實存在、常被討論的副作用。

Always said as three letters, E-C-T, and treated as uncountable: 'she had ECT', not 'an ECT'. The older everyday name is electric shock therapy or shock treatment.

Always said as three letters永遠念成三個字母，E-C-TE-C-T，and treated as uncountable而且當不可數名詞用：'she had ECT'，not 'an ECT'而不是an ECT。The older everyday name比較舊的日常說法is electric shock therapy or shock treatment是electric shock therapy或shock treatment。