The Gold Standard

While I am not an expert in the field, I took the liberty of mentioning the fact that Joe had undergone shock treatments to friends and coworkers.  Unsurprisingly, they had the same reactions as I did–

“I thought shock treatments were a thing of the past.”

“Who still does shock treatments?”

“It’s so inhumane!”

“Aren’t shock treatments illegal?”

“The Mayo Clinic, really?”

Quite the opposite of what I and everyone else I shared the story with thought, the Mayo Clinic refers to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as the “gold standard therapy for severe depression.”  Its website says that it is “a safe and effective treatment for severe and prolonged depression.” Check out the video on their website which seems to promise a solution to a lovely, peaceful life without reoccurring bouts of depression.