ECT: a new look at an old friend.

Purpose Of Review: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment option in psychiatry is advancing day by day. This review discusses new advancements in ECT with regards to anesthetic variables, stimulus, and response variables along with their impact on clinical outcomes.

Recent Findings: Anesthetic variables influence clinical efficacy and patient tolerance of ECT.

Anaesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy: An overview with an update on its role in potentiating electroconvulsive therapy.

Despite advances in pharmacotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains a mainstay treatment option in psychiatry since its introduction in 1930s. It can be used primarily in severe illnesses when there is an urgent need for treatment or secondarily after failure or intolerance to pharmacotherapy. The 'unmodified' technique of ECT was practised initially, with a high incidence of musculoskeletal complications.