(...) These historical examples of science misused or ignored helped to usher in the now-powerful movement known as evidence-based medicine, which argues that treatments must be evaluated by the most sophisticated biostatistical and epidemiological tools. At the forefront is the randomized controlled trial, which eliminates many of the biases seen in older studies. And evidence-based medicine has come to the world of electroconvulsive therapy. Beginning in the 1980s, a series of expert task forces reviewed the existing data and concluded that in certain cases of mental illness, ECT is not only an acceptable, but a highly advantageous treatment. Its use is again on the rise, helping to alleviate the symptoms of certain patients with severe psychiatric diseases.
Barron H. Lerner, associate professor of medicine and public health at Columbia University Medical Center.
