The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest shows electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, sometimes referred to as electroshock) as being barbaric and used for punishment. Modern ECT is nothing like that. You're knocked out with aneasthetic and given a muscle relaxant so there's no visible seizure. And it works; even more importantly, it works far better and faster than antidepressants do.
You can read more about my own experiences with ECT on the Mental Health @ Home blog post This One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: ECT in Real Life.