Sorry all, I can't remember the correct term they used. I was offered this some years ago but turned it down. I have now got to the stage where I feel death is only a small step away. I wondered if anyone has had this treatment and what if any positives or negatives (forgive the pun) came from your treatment.
Electric shock treatment
- Thread starter Hod
- Start date
Electroshock therapy? Like, the bad kind? Where they just hook you up and blast ya? From what I've heard, it just creates more long-term trauma. Basically it associates negative thoughts with pain, which intends to scare your mind off from thinking these things, but sometimes the experience itself is just so traumatic it makes things so, so much worse. I'd be careful if I were you. Inflicting pain on yourself is a risky path.
But ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) on the other hand, actually seems like it works. It's done while you're put under (anesthesia) and I've heard it can cure major depressive symptoms by making you experience a seizure and changing the chemical stuff in your brain. Not sure though, haven't tried it.
But ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) on the other hand, actually seems like it works. It's done while you're put under (anesthesia) and I've heard it can cure major depressive symptoms by making you experience a seizure and changing the chemical stuff in your brain. Not sure though, haven't tried it.
Hey 
I had 22 total ECT treatments (they called it electroconvulsive therapy where I was Idk if that's ubiquitous) and the hospital where I was had a pretty extensive ECT program so when I was inpatient I saw other people go through it. Some people were visibly better by the end of their treatment. Some people weren't helped at all. My personal experience was somewhere in between.
Positives:
-I had severe insomnia and psychosis, after 11 treatments this was fixed. It reset my sleep cycle and I sleep like a normal person (6-8 hrs) for the first time in my living memory.
-no long-lasting physical side effects (whereas some of my drugs caused weight gain and made me a zombie)
-it did not solve all my problems but my current suicidality is not related to depression. The doctor who first diagnosed me with depression says I'm not currently depressed, and I agree with him. So based on this ECT fixed my depression.
Negatives:
-memory loss. I don't remember much of the last two years. ECT wiped it out. I think it affected me more than the average person though, and I also have some problems with dissociative amnesia so...
-the whole setup was kinda freaky because it was assembly line style and tbh it looked like something out of a horror film. (not a real negative, but something to be prepared for if your hospital is like mine)
-going under feels really trippy and waking up is just kinda nauseating (like literally, not in a depressing metaphoric way). Again not a real negative...I have recurring dreams about going under but I also oded so Idk what to blame here
If it's offered to you it's worth a shot in my opinion. It doesn't last forever and I saw it really turn some people around. I'm sure they talked to you too but the doctors told me in general that it's much more high yield than individual medications. Even if it didn't fix me I'm glad I did it because it cleared up chemical stuff so I could notice the...not-so-chemical issues.
And lol your pun, while funny, is rather shocking.
I had 22 total ECT treatments (they called it electroconvulsive therapy where I was Idk if that's ubiquitous) and the hospital where I was had a pretty extensive ECT program so when I was inpatient I saw other people go through it. Some people were visibly better by the end of their treatment. Some people weren't helped at all. My personal experience was somewhere in between.
Positives:
-I had severe insomnia and psychosis, after 11 treatments this was fixed. It reset my sleep cycle and I sleep like a normal person (6-8 hrs) for the first time in my living memory.
-no long-lasting physical side effects (whereas some of my drugs caused weight gain and made me a zombie)
-it did not solve all my problems but my current suicidality is not related to depression. The doctor who first diagnosed me with depression says I'm not currently depressed, and I agree with him. So based on this ECT fixed my depression.
Negatives:
-memory loss. I don't remember much of the last two years. ECT wiped it out. I think it affected me more than the average person though, and I also have some problems with dissociative amnesia so...
-the whole setup was kinda freaky because it was assembly line style and tbh it looked like something out of a horror film. (not a real negative, but something to be prepared for if your hospital is like mine)
-going under feels really trippy and waking up is just kinda nauseating (like literally, not in a depressing metaphoric way). Again not a real negative...I have recurring dreams about going under but I also oded so Idk what to blame here
If it's offered to you it's worth a shot in my opinion. It doesn't last forever and I saw it really turn some people around. I'm sure they talked to you too but the doctors told me in general that it's much more high yield than individual medications. Even if it didn't fix me I'm glad I did it because it cleared up chemical stuff so I could notice the...not-so-chemical issues.
And lol your pun, while funny, is rather shocking.
Brian, Luoma. Really appreciate all your comments. Yozhik. That's a really extensive reply. Gives me much to think about. I do however feel that I have to give it a go as I see no other positive way forward. Luoma, Just to say I find your story very sad but extremely inspiring at the same time.
Hi Hod, I'm sorry for what you've been through. Here's my opinions and experiences - I currently work for a healthcare provider who run a psychiatric hospital among other hospitals and clinics. This hospital provides ECT to its patients. One of the psychiatrists there uses ECT as his "weapon of choice" often regardless of the patients condition. I have seen patients before and after - it destroys their personalities, obliterates both short and long term memory and is just an "easy fix" for the psychiatrist. I strongly suggest not going down this path if you can possibly avoid it - there are always new medications and therapies being developed. If your doctors believe you have treatment resistant depression (I think that is the term they use) other options are available like TMS.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation - maybe do some research? I hope life improves for you - take care
I don't have the metal issue but I seriously thought about it when I was in my 20s. I thought I'd never be able to be normal in any way at that time. I was cutting all the time, I was so messed up I could barely function. But heck, I moved along into the 30's and was relatively normal and now I'm good. I don't sweat any of that crap any more. I'm kind of glad I didn't do it for maybe the side effects could've eaten my brain for no reason (because apparently I was going to become ok on my own).
Hey @walkerbait95 . I'm glad you figured some stuff out on your own I just want to clear up some misconceptions about ECT in case anyone is using this thread as an information source?
Back in the day ECT really did eat up people's brains. They were using a sine wave current to trigger the seizure and it could wipe out both long and short term memory. However this is not the standard practice anymore. If your hospital is a major ECT center they won't be using it; if not, you should check but they probably won't be.
In modern medicine they use the brief pulse method, which does affect short term memory. But it can't mess up your long term memory, and most people start with unilateral which is even safer in that regard.
ECT has some side effects but the side effects from medications can at times be worse. And drugs have less of a chance of working so...while not a perfect option ECT isn't as scary as it's reputation
Back in the day ECT really did eat up people's brains. They were using a sine wave current to trigger the seizure and it could wipe out both long and short term memory. However this is not the standard practice anymore. If your hospital is a major ECT center they won't be using it; if not, you should check but they probably won't be.
In modern medicine they use the brief pulse method, which does affect short term memory. But it can't mess up your long term memory, and most people start with unilateral which is even safer in that regard.
ECT has some side effects but the side effects from medications can at times be worse. And drugs have less of a chance of working so...while not a perfect option ECT isn't as scary as it's reputation
Thanks @yozhik - I wasn't trying to scare anyone, just my opinion and my own experiences of patients. At the hospital I work at they use a thymatron device which uses the pulse method... here is there website: http://www.thymatron.com/main_home.asp which of course makes ECT out to be a great and wonderful thing.
Everything I read says TMS is a way safer option.
Disclaimer from thymatron - "Please note that nothing in this website constitutes, or should be construed as, a claim by Somatics LLC that confusion, cognitive impairment, or memory loss (short-term, long-term, recent, remote, transient, or persistent) can not occur as the result of ECT."
THYMATRON®: WHY TRUST ANYTHING LESS?
Everything I read says TMS is a way safer option.
Disclaimer from thymatron - "Please note that nothing in this website constitutes, or should be construed as, a claim by Somatics LLC that confusion, cognitive impairment, or memory loss (short-term, long-term, recent, remote, transient, or persistent) can not occur as the result of ECT."
THYMATRON®: WHY TRUST ANYTHING LESS?
Hey @dugga (Sorry this turned out so long). Your account is kinda alternate-universey to me. I'm not saying you're lying; there's just a weird disconnect here. I'm not a professional, but I had the treatment and I was inpatient at the facility with other ECT patients for a total of 3 months and no one ever had the kind of reaction you describe. Short term memory loss, sure, but no one lost their identity. That would be terrifying. That disclaimer to me sounds like a manufacturer cya in case someone has a preexisting condition that clashes with treatment and sues.
Tbh one of the reasons I trust ECT is that the doctor who pulled strings so I could get ECT was perhaps the only doctor (out of 11) who cared. He was an extremely intelligent and qualified individual, (like above average for doctors; he could have been way more financially successful in other fields). I don't want to give potentially identifying information but his diplomas are up in his office and the dude's undergrad degree was impressive to people who consider Ivies a joke, and then he went to a top 20 med school. I only knew him because I was a part of his research study. But the guy found me a therapist, communicated with my father across country, decided I wasn't getting enough help under the study guidelines so took me out of the study, and on pro bono with a new set of drugs. He also gave me his phone number and asked me to call if there was trouble and I agreed. After I oded I called him bc I'm a ridiculous human being and can't help but take promises like...knights templar seriously. There was no one else I was willing to call. He took me to the hospital and was thoughtful enough to get me the form to sign for voluntary admission to the psych ward so it wouldn't be on my legal record before I blacked out. He visited me in the ICU a few days later. He saved my life. He checked in on me during later hospitalizations--like hour long conversations checked in. Between all the moving parts he put in like 100 unpaid hours for me in a few months.
So tl;dr this guy cared. And it wasn't just like, 'we need to keep her heart beating' kind of cared; he said plenty that indicated that he believed in my potential as an individual (he had spoken to me a lot). He was very qualified, intelligent, and invested in the field of psychiatry--he was a research physician. And he got me into ECT. I haven't been on *that* many drugs. If ECT was likely to destroy my cognitive function/identity there are a million things they could have prescribed (probably literally) that would have used fewer hospital resources and involved less effort. So from my point of view, I trust him, as a professional, ofc, but also as a human being (which is like...huge for me lol) so I trust ECT as a treatment.
A lot of new technologies are coming out, some may be more effective than ECT; time will tell. But I have no idea what's happening at your hospital. It is just so alien to my experience. Never did we think ECT was unsafe in the unit. My experience with drugs on the other hand, sucked. No sleep meds worked for me--trazedone and vistaril were as effective as tic tacs, ambien kinda helped but it made me sleepwalk and move stuff around the apt so I scared the shit out of my roommates and could never find anything. ECT fixed my insomnia. And zyprexa is like the devil incarnate in a pill; an average of 10 lbs of weight gain a month, your metabolism fucked for up to 2 years after, and gives you the personality of a disgruntled koala? ECT fixed my psychosis. My chemical issues were resolved by ECT and it led to the discovery of other issues, thereby moving me forward even if I'm still unstable.
I get the feeling that our extremely different personal experiences will likely prevent us reaching an agreement here. But this is where I'm coming from. I would never defend a treatment that I believed to be dangerous, and I would never believe something that was not based on significant evidence. I think ECT is an effective and safe treatment.
Tbh one of the reasons I trust ECT is that the doctor who pulled strings so I could get ECT was perhaps the only doctor (out of 11) who cared. He was an extremely intelligent and qualified individual, (like above average for doctors; he could have been way more financially successful in other fields). I don't want to give potentially identifying information but his diplomas are up in his office and the dude's undergrad degree was impressive to people who consider Ivies a joke, and then he went to a top 20 med school. I only knew him because I was a part of his research study. But the guy found me a therapist, communicated with my father across country, decided I wasn't getting enough help under the study guidelines so took me out of the study, and on pro bono with a new set of drugs. He also gave me his phone number and asked me to call if there was trouble and I agreed. After I oded I called him bc I'm a ridiculous human being and can't help but take promises like...knights templar seriously. There was no one else I was willing to call. He took me to the hospital and was thoughtful enough to get me the form to sign for voluntary admission to the psych ward so it wouldn't be on my legal record before I blacked out. He visited me in the ICU a few days later. He saved my life. He checked in on me during later hospitalizations--like hour long conversations checked in. Between all the moving parts he put in like 100 unpaid hours for me in a few months.
So tl;dr this guy cared. And it wasn't just like, 'we need to keep her heart beating' kind of cared; he said plenty that indicated that he believed in my potential as an individual (he had spoken to me a lot). He was very qualified, intelligent, and invested in the field of psychiatry--he was a research physician. And he got me into ECT. I haven't been on *that* many drugs. If ECT was likely to destroy my cognitive function/identity there are a million things they could have prescribed (probably literally) that would have used fewer hospital resources and involved less effort. So from my point of view, I trust him, as a professional, ofc, but also as a human being (which is like...huge for me lol) so I trust ECT as a treatment.
A lot of new technologies are coming out, some may be more effective than ECT; time will tell. But I have no idea what's happening at your hospital. It is just so alien to my experience. Never did we think ECT was unsafe in the unit. My experience with drugs on the other hand, sucked. No sleep meds worked for me--trazedone and vistaril were as effective as tic tacs, ambien kinda helped but it made me sleepwalk and move stuff around the apt so I scared the shit out of my roommates and could never find anything. ECT fixed my insomnia. And zyprexa is like the devil incarnate in a pill; an average of 10 lbs of weight gain a month, your metabolism fucked for up to 2 years after, and gives you the personality of a disgruntled koala? ECT fixed my psychosis. My chemical issues were resolved by ECT and it led to the discovery of other issues, thereby moving me forward even if I'm still unstable.
I get the feeling that our extremely different personal experiences will likely prevent us reaching an agreement here. But this is where I'm coming from. I would never defend a treatment that I believed to be dangerous, and I would never believe something that was not based on significant evidence. I think ECT is an effective and safe treatment.
Hi @yozhik - thanks for your reply. I thought I would go have a talk to my psychiatrist today about ECT vs TMS vs meds and get his professional opinion on the pros and cons of each. He's sent many patients over the years for ECT - some had no memory loss, some had short term memory loss and some had permanent memory loss. He told me of a patient who lost complete random chunks of memory - she actually couldn't remember giving birth to her child, so significant life events gone forever. Personally I would never risk something as precious as my memories - good and bad they make me who I am, that's just my opinion. Some people with severe treatment resistant depression I'm sure would be prepared to take that risk if it's the difference between life and death. I discussed TMS with him and it sounds good but he tells me it is not as effective to treat long term severe depression as ECT plus TMS requires a four week course of treatments as an inpatient. He says there are no significant side-effects from TMS. They won't do it as an outpatient as the hospitals need to make their money by having a patient occupy a bed. The machine and the consumables it uses are expensive and they want return on investment so having a patient in a bed means more income from the insurance funds. Interestingly most patients who have TMS or ECT still end up back on meds eventually so nothing is a permanent fix. There is no magic bullet - it would be great if there was. He was telling me about new treatments that involve electrical implants running DC current directly into your frontal lobes - I guess like having a battery shooting impulses into your brain. Sounds very experimental but I imagine pacemakers where cutting edge once too. All very interesting - it's great that alternatives are being researched.
I was in the hospital several times begging for ECT, since I was so miserable and multiple drug therapies had done nothing for me. The doctors wouldn't do it, though, saying I "wasn't a good candidate," whatever that means. I spoke to patients who'd had it done, however, and most said they'd do it again. Short-term memory loss is a real thing and something to consider, but a lot of desperate people with treatment-resistant depression have been helped by ECT. A couple of people said that it saved their lives. If your doctor recommends ECT and you feel like there are no other options left, I'd say do it.
That said, new drugs and therapies are coming out all the time. Last May I was put on Trintellix, a new antidepressant that works in some unusual (and apparently slightly mysterious) way. Now, for the first time since I can remember, I feel human. I've had no noticeable side effects from it. So if you have any energy left to keep fighting and the thought of memory loss scares you, then there's always hope that something new will be developed that will do the trick for you.
That said, new drugs and therapies are coming out all the time. Last May I was put on Trintellix, a new antidepressant that works in some unusual (and apparently slightly mysterious) way. Now, for the first time since I can remember, I feel human. I've had no noticeable side effects from it. So if you have any energy left to keep fighting and the thought of memory loss scares you, then there's always hope that something new will be developed that will do the trick for you.
