Shock therapy and psychiatric malpractice: the legal accommodation to a controversial treatment.

Shock therapy has developed over the years into an accepted form.of psychiatric treatment for relieving the symptoms of certain mental illnesses. The development of shock therapy did and still does take place in a legal environment which leaves the reasonable psychiatrist free to experiment. The discovery of muscle-relaxing drugs and their introduction into the treatment procedure were undoubtedly encouraged by the possibility of malpractice suits arising from bone fracture caused by rapidly contracting muscles. Today the incidence of malpractie suits involving shock therapy has been reduced, and a reasonable psychiatrist exercising care remains free to treat without concern over the possibility of a successful malpractice action.