After being in the hospital for about two months, swinging from depression to mania and back to depression once more...the doctors are strongly recommending ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) to me. They tell me that it is safe. I worry greatly about the possibility of memory loss. They tell me that any memory loss would be temporary.

Has anybody ever received this treatment? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Ultimately, it is my decision whether or not I get ECT done. I'm just wanting to educate myself on this form of therapy before I go through with it.

Thanks for reading.

Melissa, good luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you Byzantine.

I watched a video about ECT earlier today, and it pointed out many positive things about it. It really DOES make a difference in many people's lives. My biggest concern is the posibility of permanent memory loss, and perhaps the inability to attend school or work due to side effects on my brain from the treatment.

I am leaning towards yes though, but would only want them to shock one side of my brain to start. If it didn't work, they could proceed to shock both sides of my brain. Hopefully this treatment will help to balance my mood properly.

If anyone has ever gone through the treatment, or knows someone who has done ECT, any posts would be greatly appreciated. I am so busy thinking of the worst case scenario, my head isn't allowing too much positive in my mind. I'm very scared about all this!

[splitimage]

I've never had ECT, but when I was in the hospital, many of the women on the unit I was in were having it. It made a huge difference that I could see - you could actually see patients becoming less depressed after 6 or 7 sessions. Some of them complained of bad headaches after it, and they weren't allowed to leave the ward unescorted on the day they had it. But I will say one thing - they all suffered short term memory loss, it was quite noticeable in some of them. But nothing I know about it would suggest that it would interfere with your future academic plans.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

--splitimage

[Rhiannonsmoon]

Hey Ohseedee,

I'm glad you brought this discussion up (I know there are other questions on ECT but this one caught my eye), I have thought about it but having worked in a psych hospital and seen what happened there I have been awfully resistant to it. Though I know that it is probably vastly different to the way it was back then in the 80's, I still have this nagging doubt about it.

So I'm very interested to hear what you decide and what the outcome is. Best of luck with whatever you go ahead with,

Rhi

[Sabrina]

I am hesitant to post, but I had a negative experience with intense ECT treatment some years ago. I lost memories from about a year before and 6 or so months afterwards and have never regained them. I lost some basic functionality (like how to boil an egg) but I regained this after some time. I gained considerable weight because I was convinced I wasn't eating and therefore kept eating the whole time. Many months after the ECT I was still deeply depressed.

Sorry, my story is not good and I don't want to discourage you, but it is also good to get everyone's experience.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[pachyderm]

No personal experience with ECT (other than being "offered" it), but from what I read, memory loss can vary a lot. I have seen a few examples of other people and my impression of what it did to the people (not just memory) ranged from noticing very little effect, to drastic effects that I would wish on no one.

[darkrunner]

About 10 years ago, my sister had ECT after several years of debilitating depression, sui attempts, hospitalizations, etc.
She did have noticeable memory loss, especially of events around that time and from our childhood.
However, ECT was the only thing that helped her depression. She was able to function again, and she now has 2 kids and is able to have a job.

It was a last resort for her and the memory loss was worth it so that she could gain her life back.
Good luck, ohseedee.

[volatile]

It damages your brain, please do not subject yourself to that brutality.

[deliquesce]

i decided against ECT because of the possibility of permanent memory loss or cognitive decline. it doesn't happen to everyone, but it can happen. given that i am currently a student and intend to work as an academic, losing my mind like that is something i cannot afford.

my doctor was very honest with me about this possibility and i appreciated his concern, however remote the possibility. eventually we found a drug (13th try!) that worked for me, and has been working very well for over a year now.

i am a bit concerned because i have never heard of ECT being approved to treat bipolar disorder. it is used as a last resort for depression - severe melancholic, psychotic or disorders where there is something like catatonia present.

how do your drs think this will help you? ECT is not a mood stabiliser - it only helps for depression. even then, you will have to continue on meds & the risk of relapse is still very high (85%).

Originally Posted by deliquesce

i decided against ECT because of the possibility of permanent memory loss or cognitive decline. it doesn't happen to everyone, but it can happen. given that i am currently a student and intend to work as an academic, losing my mind like that is something i cannot afford.

my doctor was very honest with me about this possibility and i appreciated his concern, however remote the possibility. eventually we found a drug (13th try!) that worked for me, and has been working very well for over a year now.

i am a bit concerned because i have never heard of ECT being approved to treat bipolar disorder. it is used as a last resort for depression - severe melancholic, psychotic or disorders where there is something like catatonia present.

how do your drs think this will help you? ECT is not a mood stabiliser - it only helps for depression. even then, you will have to continue on meds & the risk of relapse is still very high (85%).

Hi there,

I watched a educational video yesterday on ECT, and it is indeed approved to treat Bipolar Disorder, as well as severe depression, severe psychotic depression, suicidality, and catatonia, I believe. So no worries. For me, I'm mostly in a depressive state, so I assume it would just help to bring me up (but not high enough to become manic).

I'm amazed that so many people replied! Thanks to everyone for your replies, the good and the bad, I appreciate hearing both sides of the possibilities of ECT treatment.

I will be talking to my doctor today I think, so I'll mention my concerns over the treatment. However, I think I'll give it a shot. I can't live like this for much longer. (My only other option is to go on a mood stabilizer that will take about 6 months to fully work, and they would keep me in the hospital for THAT LONG.) I'm not willing to do that. xD

[Fresia]

I have not undergone ECT personally but have seen both positive and negative results with its treatment. I think of ECT as a last resort when ALL other medication therapies with cognitive or DBT therapies have been exhausted b/c of the risks and side-effects ECT.

I do wish you well as you look at treatment options and try to decide what is the best fit for you.

[pegasus]

If you want my opinion, I would say, Don't do it!

I know a few people that have had it, one particular person has lost all memories - good and bad from childhood and beyond and has short term memory span to this day. She cannot do the simplist things and is depressed now as she does not even have any good memories.

ECT is something that was used a lot with no understanding of how or why it works for some. It is not a treatment that I reccommend for anyone these days.

Besides that, is it you that also has epilepsy? Epilepsy and ect would not go together at all and indeed make the epilepsy much worse.

There are many, many other options out there, different medications and certainly psychotherapy would help you. I urge you to reconsider.

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by ohseedee

I watched a educational video yesterday on ECT, and it is indeed approved to treat Bipolar Disorder, as well as severe depression, severe psychotic depression, suicidality, and catatonia, I believe.

Approved by... "authorities". Not always to be trusted, I fear.

[eskielover]

I have only seen 2 people who have had ECT & both were not a good result. One was back in 1995....they used it at UCLA for this girl's post partum depression....she only allowed them to do it once & realized that it wasn't for her.

I had another girl that I met in the hospital that lived close to me & they decided to try ECT.....I think she had BP also. Lived by herself even though her father lived close by. She went through a couple of ECT treatments & couldn't take care of herself, drive her car, or anything...it wasn't a good result & she pulled out of the treatment also.

The problem I see is that medication side effects end up being able to reverse themselves (I had horrible side effects to most meds), but ECT side effects are mostly permanent.

The thing is that you would have problems with getting through college the way you are.....but you could also have worse problems getting through college after ECT.....if they found meds that would help with more trials....think your possibility of getting through college & attaining your dream would be much greater. Sometimes we have to invest a little more time for a better outcome & have it worth it. Quick fixes usually don't work as well as we hope. People go to college long into life. I would think that investing some time into finding a stable solution that isn't as drastic as ECT might be a much better investment in your time.

Just my personal impression on this. I know that I went to college & got my degree & can't imagine how I could have gotten through it if I had any memory problems.

Best wishes on your decision process

[sadden]

Ohseedee,
What a big decision! Kudos on reaching out to others and your doctor to get feedback on your concerns. Don't know if you've decided yet, but for what its worth, here's my experience. I debated a while on sharing as I think there is still a very strong stigma attached to having had ECT. Anyway, I had multiple courses of unipolar (1 side) in 05 and 06. I don't remember some of the things that happened to me during that time and after, but I was so depressed that I don't know that I would've anyway. ECT helped me, but wasn't a "solution" in any sense of the word. T. seems to be the only thing that is moving me "down the road" to a fulfiling life. That said, I think ECT saved my life at the time. It literally kept me afloat when the depression threatened to submerge me permanently. Good luck with your choice.

(((((( Melissa ))))))

Thank you everyone for your honest replies, I appreciate them very much.

I have made my decision. I will be getting ECT done, getting both sides done at once. The treatment will last between 6-9 sessions. After each session, I will be getting seen by a doctor & evaluated - if they see that my memory loss is extensive, or that I'm losing basic function, they will stop the treatment immediately. They promised me this, and I am trusting them.

If I lose some memories from childhood, I can live with that. What I can't live with, is this depression that has had a hold of me for so long. The only breaks I got were when I had manic episodes. I wish an anti-depressant was an option for me, but I am too sensitive to them. There's a great chance they would swing me into a manic episode.

As for another mood stabilizer, I cannot wait for 6 months for it to build in my system. To be perfectly honest, I would probably have attempted/committed suicide by then, probably more than once. I am already having familiar suicidal thoughts coming into my head. It is my safety net.

I need to get better quickly, and I just can't wait. :/ I'm scared about the side effects, for sure. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm worried about forgetting important things, and I'm worried about losing cognitive function to the point where I couldn't attend school or get a job.

My doctor has already suggested that I apply for disability, and I'm OK with that. I'm going to be spending the next year attending high school and getting my diploma...that's the most important thing. And I know I can't attend school AND work at the same time, so disability will help me to contribute rent money to my father, since I'll be living with him. My doctor and I both know I'm in no shape to work, at least not at this point. :/

I will be keeping you guys in my thoughts (although the thought has crossed my mind more than once that ECT might make me forget you guys! ) I'm hoping this is the treatment that could make a difference in my life. I will update you guys on how it goes.

[eskielover]

Best wishes on this & your future.....Hoping it all works out well.

[pachyderm]

(((((ohseedee)))))

[Eljay]

Ohseedee, my thoughts are with you. I have had ECT lots and lots and lots of times. I have had a few suicide attempts and ECT saved my life over many years. I lost a lot of memories of the last 10 years of my life. That were the years that I had the ECT's. I had my last one about 2 months ago. To me it is a last resort, because my brain is too sensitive for medicines. I have been on almost every anti-depressant, mood stabilizer etc. I have come to accept the memory loss, because ECT does not affect my functioning as a person.
I counted the amount of ECT's that I've had over the years and it amounts to 107. I would really like to know what you guys think of the amount. I am astounded myself.
Ohseedee, I really, really hope you made the right decision for your own, special, individual brain. I hope it works for you.

[eskielover]

Interesting about the memory loss however, I was thinking back over the years of being suicidal myself & really don't have much memory of those years & I didn't have any ECT. Had so many attempts during that time, that may be why I only remember bits & pieces between 1994 & 2002.

Have no idea what switched into my not feeling that way because I couldn't take meds without having horrible side effects & reactions that other people never experienced. Ugh, our bodies & minds can be so very complicated.....we just have to do the best we can & hope we find the right answer that really works.

Glad all those ECT treatments worked. That sounds a bit much, but if it worked, you can't knock success......which is our main goal in recovery or at least in becoming functional again.

[Bipolarmother]

Hi
I also am sensitive to meds and had ECT after severe depression in the beginning of my diagnosis which was changed to Bipolar. I had the temporary memory loss but I believe I also have blocks of time I have forgotten. Such as trips, events, people etc. I have almost had to reprogram all that info back into my head. I remember coming home and asking where our street went to but as soon as I saw it the memory came back. Really weird.
I have seen it work and not work on others when I was an inpatient. Although it didnt work on me, I would recommend it but be aware of it and write down phone numbers, etc.

I had a real bad case of ultra rapid cycling from meds and it was so out of control my pdoc recommended it again. He said it could jolt the chemicals back into a little bit of normalcy instead of the cycling. But I refused, scared and I really suffered till the cycling settled on its own.

So as long as you are comfortable with the facilty doing it, I would try it. You can always discontinue but remember that it might take 6-12 treatments before you might feel better.

Good luck with your decision :-))

[bachir]

i just finished personally with ECT exactly a year ago now. i had roughly 60 or so treatments done over the course of around 16 months. most people do not require so many, but i'm not most people. yes, there is always the memory issue. for me i just underwent neuro psych testing to have the old memory checked because it has been problematic. his basic conclusion is that my memory is present just having difficulty accessing it. there are apparently treatments out there to help build these old muscles back up if you will. my t even told me there is a rehab for memory for those who went through ECT. this rehab only consists of one or two visits.

from my understanding most regain their memory a little while after the treatments stop. personally, at the time i began doing ECT i didn't care what effect it had on my memory. if it could help where meds were not then i was for it. it seemed to me a small price to pay for some moderate happiness. it kept me out of the hospital while i was undergoing it. i know some of whom it literally has saved their lives.

one last thing. while i was undergoing these treatments i was required to take fish oil and a multi-vitiamin. i'm assuming this helped. when i first began receiving them outpatient i would get headaches following, but they would always give me something to help with it. eventually they made other adjustments during the actual treatment itself, and i stopped waking up with them. personally i think the anthesia aspect of the whole thing was the most challenging as it usually left me feeling totally drained the day i had it done.

hope this helps. best wishes in whatever you decide. take care

[Fresia]

Ohseedee,
Sending you hugs and well wishes as you start this new course of treatment and in all your endeavors.
-Fresia