Has anyone ever had ECT?

What were the pro's and con's for you?

[kaliope]

i didnt have ect but my good friend did. she had way more than what was recommended. i know in the beginning she was upset because she was forgetting stuff she wanted to remember but she still remembered the bad stuff. she felt the forgetting was worth further treatment tho cause she felt it was working. she lost quite a bit of her memory. we got togehter with her and took a road trip to try and "jolt" some of her memories back into place. it took some work but she was able to remember stuff. she eventuall did come out of her depression. she continues to do well today

[shabur]

I had ECT while I was in-patient. It got me out of a deep depression.

Initially I had problems with short term memory and there are still things I don't remember from my in-patient stay. I continue to have problems with organization and concentration, but given how deep I was in it was worth it. I hated it, but it was worth it.

So far (I think I've had 6 treatments or something? Including one today) I forget stuff from the day I have ECT but so far it's regained me my ability to actually notice it when I'm hungry and thirsty. My depression was so bad I wasn't even able to feel that stuff anymore. My mood is still as low as it was before I started treatments, though. I don't have much hope that that'll ever get better - but according to the doctors that's a symptom of the depression.

I found ECT enormously helpful getting me out of a a severe, long-term depression. It didn't prevent future problems, but it certainly kept me alive and able to move forward. I didn't have any long-term memory problems.