It is a well-known fact that patients dislike E.C.T. and that part of this dislike is based on the unpleasant period of waiting which occurs before all operative procedures. There may be indeed other features involved in E.C.T. as patients seem to have a fear and dislike of this treatment out of proportion to what would be expected. That this dislike of E.C.T. is an important matter is brought out by the difficulty in persuading patients who have suffered a recurrence of a depressive illness to undergo this treatment once again, and if any means could be devised to increase their readiness to accept medical advice on this subject then an advance would be made.