[Contemporary place of the electroconvulsive therapy Part 1. The historical context arnd the biological basis].

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a former physical therapy method in psychiatry which is applicable up till today in relation to its high effectiveness and the safety. Centuries of applying nonconvulsive methods of the electric stimulation preceded introducing this method into the clinical practice. ECT is arousing a lot of controversies; populous myths are connected with its applying--that demands explanations. Numerous biological mechanisms explaining the clinical efficacy of ECT action are well-known.