ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an underutilized treatment option for the treatment of severe mood disorders. Limitations of early ECT technique, adverse media portrayal, and a lack of education about the procedure have stigmatized ECT for decades, and significant advances in the procedure have not completely eliminated that stigma. Patients and family members are often surprised to find out that the procedure still exists and may be offended to have it offered to them as a treatment. This may be particularly true for geriatric patients who remember the early stigma of ECT.
