Hirshbein L, Sarvananda S. History, power, and electricity: American popular magazine accounts of electroconvulsive therapy, 1940-2005.
JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 2008;
44:1-18. [PMID:
18196545 DOI:
10.1002/jhbs.20283]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment that has been in use in the United States since the 1940s. During the whole of its existence, it has been extensively discussed and debated within American popular magazines. While initial reports of the treatment highlighted its benefits to patients, accounts by the 1970s and 1980s were increasingly polarized. This article analyzes the popular accounts over time, particularly the ways in which the debates over ECT have revolved around different interpretations of ECT's history and its power dynamics.
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