Since your psychiatrist recommended ECT I absolutely don't understand why the hierarchy is resisting you so intensely.
As for the "old attitude"...maybe it's changing for some pdocs. I told my doctor, 2 years ago, that if my depression could no longer be relieved by medication I wanted to try ECT. She agreed - with the caveat that she would be sorry to have to put me through ECT because "it changes the personality, and others things, so much." I remember thinking then that perhaps the so-called "new" attitude toward ECT hadn't touched the psychiatric community as much as laypeople are being led to believe.
I'm also quite med-sensitive. My doctor started out the Wellbutrin at 150/day (so, sub-clinical). About three weeks later she increased to 200/day, which is the lowest clinical dose. She said perhaps we'll increase it a bit after a while. I'll be honest, I'm delighted with it thus far. I can't report any negative effects, at all. I was terribly concerned about anxiety or agitation (including irritability). I haven't had any of that - in fact, I actually feel calmer. BUT not sedated. I am sooo weary of sedating medications that leave me half-asleep all day, with my goal for the day to make it to bedtime.
The thing with Wellbutrin is that there are two types (as with many psych drugs) - the regular and the extended release. Apparently, most patients are started out on the regular, then eventually go to extended release. The "target" dose is 300mg. per day. Which, of course, means that some patients will end up on an even higher dose.