[doggiedo]

Did anyone see this episode today? They talked to praticians and even viewed a person going through the process. I was surprised how well controlled the process is. It didn't look like it hurt at all. It was really educational and interesting. Just wondering if anyone else saw it....

[dragonfly2]

I saw it, and yes, it was very informative. Very positive. And, no, it doesn't hurt. I had a little bit of a headache afterward, but nothing that some ibuprofen couldn't take care of.

I recorded it and watched it when I got home. It was interesting to see the procedure from the outside viewpoint. And no, it doesn't hurt at all. The anesthesiologist puts you under and you wake up a few minutes later with absolutely no memory of the procedure.

[nicoleb2]

The procedure itself does not hurt, for some though, there are side effects. I ended up with horrible headaches, to the point that I could not get out of bed for 3 days after each treatment. It did not help, and only caused worse issues

[justgivealittle]

I am currently doing ECT's right now and the anesthesia hurts for me but afterwards I don't remember anything and its fine....

[Amazonmom]

Meet people who lost the memories of their children or how to do the career they had for decades and you will think long and hard about ECT and if the risk is worth it.

[nicoleb2]

Originally Posted by Amazonmom

Meet people who lost the memories of their children or how to do the career they had for decades and you will think long and hard about ECT and if the risk is worth it.

So true!

I don't remember HUGE portions of my life. I remember very little from when my kids were younger. ECT is NOT NOT NOT at all worth the risk. I would rather die than lose any more of my memories.

[Amazonmom]

It can be effective but remember that this was grandfathered into FDA approval, meaning so safety and effectiveness have not been demonstrated as have other treatments. I think its weird to have it on TV because it's not something you come in off the street and ask for.... But destigmatizing mental illness by having popular tv personalities talk about it might be good.

[nicoleb2]

Originally Posted by Amazonmom

It can be effective but remember that this was grandfathered into FDA approval, meaning so safety and effectiveness have not been demonstrated as have other treatments. I think its weird to have it on TV because it's not something you come in off the street and ask for.... But destigmatizing mental illness by having popular tv personalities talk about it might be good.

Yeah, kind of an odd topic for TV, and not so good because it was a really one-sided show. It only showed the positives, never any of the negatives, so not too informative. Hopefully, people think before they jump into ect... it really and truly should only be used as a last resort, which was not the case for me.

[-jimi-]

ETC is used here on a very regular basis, it's much more popular than it ever was. People don't know about this, they think it is a rare occasion. Also here (Northern Europe), you can zap someone without consent.

It really freaks me out. I know someone who used memory loss to his "advantage", he talked them into more and more treatments and he ended up with over 100 treatments. He tried to delete a painful memory. But instead he got his whole career deleted. He doesn't know how to do anything at work anymore and forgot he even went to university for 7 years.

My memory is already Swiss cheese from my sleep meds. I think that is enough for me.