shock therapy

See synonyms for shock therapy on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (not in technical use) any of various therapies, as insulin shock therapy or electroconvulsive therapy, that induce convulsions or unconsciousness, used for symptomatic relief in certain mental disorders.

Origin of shock therapy

1
First recorded in 1935–40
  • Also called shock treatment.

Words Nearby shock therapy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shock therapy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shock therapy

shock therapy

noun
  1. the treatment of certain psychotic conditions by injecting drugs or by passing an electric current through the brain (electroconvulsive therapy) to produce convulsions or coma

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for shock therapy

shock therapy

The treatment of a mentally ill person by passing electric shocks through the brain.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.