For decades psychiatrists have used shock therapy to treat cases of depression that haven't been helped by antidepressant medications, and in recent years the treatment -- now known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) -- has experienced something of a revival.
Nancy Koenigsberg, the legal director of Disability Rights New Mexico, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, one of many patient advocacy groups that argued for stricter oversight of ECT devices in the lead-up to last week's meeting, says her organization was "pleased" with the outcome.