ECT & Creativity

Hello––

I signed up for this forum since I'm about to start ECT, which, of course, comes with its own sphere of anxieties. The question I'd like to ask is: If you have had experience with ECT, have there been any invasive effects on your wit, creativity and/or intellect?

My situation is like this: I have been Bipolar for years, but the past three have been a steady, depressive decline, which has led to a life lived in my parents' basement at 36 years of age, bankrupt due to manic business ideas, too inept to work, not enough energy to shower more than once per 10 - 14 days, et cetera.

I am a writer who has been selected as one of three poets out of hundreds of applicants to attend a prestigious MFA program. As I am now, I will have to back out due to my debilitation. Considering 30 medications and combinations have failed me, and I'm only getting worse, I'm turning, reluctantly, to ECT. I can't help but worry, though, that it will hinder my creative capacities. Creativity is my lifeblood, and if ECT results in an ineptitude to write, I won't only have to back out of the MFA program, I will no longer be able to do all that I love: write, compose music and paint.

What do you all think? Continue my life with all of its limitations and back out of the MFA program? Or give ECT a chance and hope it will lift me enough to move forward with the MFA program?

Hope to hear from you!

I write poetry, children's books and short stories, and I've had ECT. It hasn't hindered my creativity.

I'm a musician and did not find ECT in any way impacted that area of my life.

I had ECT two years ago. I was a political consultant. I now struggle to remember names of important political figures and fundamentals of the legal and legislative process. Pre-ECT, I used to come up with creative and humorous insight about current events or historical figures and peel out press releases. Now my 16 year old smart political history buff wonders what happened to his bright mom. Now, I have been on meds that effect memory greatly and I'm weaning from those. Depression certainly dulls the ability to concentrate and creativity for many. It sure does for me.

This is just my experience I feel I need to share. I hope I get better as I wean from my meds. Many people report no problems with creativity as you can see from the other posts. Look at Carrie Fisher or the author Sherwin Nuland.

It is clearly not a lobotomy. I am not a zombie and my personality is the same and I still know my family.

I'm interested in this too since my mom and sister want me to consider ECT. I'm an aspiring illustrator in college though, and I don't want my chances as a storyboard artist to be shot down by a procedure. The whole idea just makes me nervous.