Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was introduced for the first time as a technique for treating psychiatric disorders in 1938. It is an effective treatment for mood disorders and can be used for a number of other conditions including schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, especially when these conditions are accompanied by prominent disturbances in mood. The modern technique of ECT consists of brief‐pulse square‐wave alternating current cranial stimulation under general anesthesia with muscle relaxation, oxygenation, and continuous cardiac, blood pressure, oxygen, electromyographic, and electroencephalographic monitoring. The rate of successful acute treatment is high, and serious side effects are uncommon. Areas for further research include combined treatment with ECT and medication as well as new forms of electromagnetic brain stimulation such as repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), magnetic seizure therapy (MST), and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).