Max Fink, a psychiatrist who fiercely advocated for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) despite decades of stigma and Hollywood-fueled misconceptions, has died at 102. He dedicated his career to defending ECT as a legitimate, often life-saving treatment for severe depression and other mental illnesses, even as critics dismissed it as barbaric. His persistence helped shift some medical and public perceptions, though the debate around ECT’s image and use continues.

Editor’s Note: Fink’s story isn’t just about one man’s legacy—it’s a snapshot of how medicine grapples with controversial treatments. ECT works for some patients when nothing else does, but its reputation (thanks in part to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) still overshadows its benefits. His death invites us to reconsider how we judge therapies that seem extreme but might save lives.