A biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient

• A. Light Exposure Therapy
• B. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
• C. Psychopharmacology
• D. EMDR

Answer: (B)

Delivering a brief electric current to the brain while the person is under anesthesia to induce a controlled seizure is Electroconvulsive therapy. This biomedical treatment is typically reserved for severe depression that hasn’t responded to other therapies, and it can yield relatively rapid improvement in mood. The anesthesia and muscle relaxants minimize discomfort and risk, and the induced seizure is thought to produce neurochemical and network changes that help reset mood-regulating circuits. Other approaches in this list include bright light therapy, which uses bright light to influence circadian rhythms without brain currents; medications that alter neurotransmitter activity without current stimulation; and a psychotherapeutic technique that uses bilateral stimulation without inducing a brain seizure.