Scholars' Showcase 2018

Before the 1930's the treatment of mentally ill individuals was very limited and more neglectful than it was helpful. In 1938, neurologist Ugo Cerletti, with the help of psychiatrist Lucio Bini, successfully used electrical stimulation of the brain to induce seizures on a human patient, which successfully provided the patient with relief from his mental illness. This soon became known as “electroconvulsive therapy” and rapidly gained popularity, spreading around the world. Even through skepticism and criticism, this treatment still persisted through and is still in use today