Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is in the Netherlands not in use as a treatment for schizophrenics who are refractory to neuroleptics. Yet, these patients do suffer a very invalidating disease. As a contribution to the evaluation of the applicability of ECT by health-authorities the literature was studied to determine this treatment's effectivity in treating therapyresistant schizophrenia. 35 studies were included. ECT showed to be as effective as neuroleptic treatment, while the combination of the two seems to have faster and possibly larger efficacy. The actual convulsion is possibly a prerogative for the latter efficacy, while this can not be proven for ECT as monotherapy. Diagnostical subtyping of schizophrenia has no predictive value for the efficacy of ECT.