Electroshock and Its Horrors
The Birth of Electroshock Therapy
In 1938, two Italian psychiatrists, Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini, thought it would be a great idea to zap the brains of mentally ill patients with electricity. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t as fun as it sounds. The first unfortunate soul to experience this was a homeless man who, after several rounds of electroshock, showed some improvement. But the lack of anesthesia meant patients endured immense physical and emotional agony.
The Nightmarish Side Effects
Patients subjected to electroshock therapy often emerged with severe side effects. Memory loss, confusion, and physical injuries from convulsions were common. Some patients would forget significant portions of their lives, while others experienced a complete personality change. This method, more akin to torture than treatment, left lasting scars on the minds and bodies of those who endured it.
