One of the purposes that the admission's office still serves is for administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), most commonly known as electric shock treatment. A nurse stands next to an anaesthetic machine in a room where the treatment is given. Each patient who undergoes the therapy receives six doses, while under general anaesthetic, administered over a two-week period on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. "Electroconvulsive therapy is one of the most controversial methods for treating depression and catatonic schizophrenia but if you go to one of the latest psychiatry books they describe it as one of the most effective methods," said Dr. Irungu. ECT was widely used in the United States and other countries in the 1940s and 1950s and a stigma grew up around it as a barbaric tool used to discipline unruly patients. The process is no longer widely used and safety measures have been put it place, but is still considered among some health professionals as an effective and safe means for treating some forms of mental illness. It is generally used on patients who fail to respond to other types of therapy. Side effects can include memory loss, sleep disturbances, disorientation and confusion.