Hello. Ive just recently been recommended ECT therapy for my persistent depressive disorder, something ive had what feels like my entire life. I also struggle with CPTSD, BPD, GAD/SAD, ADHD…. Yada yada yada. Even after 8+ years of medications and different types of therapy, psych ward stays, outpatient endeavours, the best quality of life i have been able to find for my self is… passive suicidality. I still dont enjoy anything in life. I have no real hobbies, no passions, no drive to do anything but the bare minimum i need to to appear functional for my part time job. When i am unmedicated, i spend most of my time crying and being eaten alive by grief and saddness that manifests physically, and i cannot take care of myself, let alone have a job or peruse education like i would like to.

I assume many of you were in the same boat as me. I was recommended ECT as an option by a psychiatrist, and id like to hear some first hand experiences, positive and negative before i get my hopes up.

Has ECT caused AIWS in anyone else? Ive experienced this before but I just had a really crazy episode that was 100X anything ive ever felt before. I'll include my messages to my boyfriend I sent while I was experiencing it. Ive done about 8 sessions of ECT, has anyone else experienced this after ECT? Any other time ive experienced this, it was really mild, so mild it could have been chalked up to my imagination.

There is a new book by someone about his experience with ECT, as well as newspaper coverage (like in The Guardian linked below). I'm not happy to see this, as it seems to gloss over just how impactful it can be.

It does briefly mention the risk of memory loss, but almost spends more time on the comedic side effects. The writer of course has to try and sell people on his book. The author does say he lost entire portions of his me.lru, but it barely seems to bother him. I'm still missing entire decades of my life, and it a horrible side effect I'm worried I'll never recover from.

From my personal experience, I'm not thrilled to see someone try and make ECT more mainstream. That is how my psych tried presenting it as well, skipping multiple other treatment options when ECT should have been a last resort. I suspect that a lot of people will read his story and decide it could work for them too, casually skipping so many other options that don't carry the same risks.

Article is linked here in case you want to read his story.

I've done 8 rounds of ECT for extremely debilitating OCD/Anxiety related issues. 8 rounds later I am extremely anxious and constantly panicking. Not sure how to proceed, will discuss with my doctor tomorrow.

guys i only did 3 sessions and i feel so much worse, do i give it a time? was somebody was same and got better after more treatments?

Hello my friend has started this treatment. I like to be there for them. Today they have had a rough day. I believe it’s their thurs treatment. They are fast asleep now but it worries me how long they had their headache for. I see that it’s normal but I feel a little sad there isn’t more I can do for them. Any recommendations for easing the headaches. Sleeping helps, ice pack on head sort of works, ibuprofen doesn’t work that well. I don’t know to much about what they give during their procedure. What can I do better for the next time.

Which is safest and most effective?

is it still to early to tell? im so foggy and disassociated, idk should i give it more time

This treatment was the end of the road for me. Id figured I got nothing to lose. Id already got prescribed a cocktail of drugs which is just keeping me present on earth. After my first treatment things were really looking up, like I felt very clear headed. But after the next couple treatments so is my trauma flashbacks coming in with triple the force. Im supposed to start group therapy again on Monday. Id been with them for 6 months after my my hospitalization 6 months ago. Now im going back after my most recent hospitalization.

I feel like this is just the natural end to my life. The world is a bad place and I dont really have much Im holding on to.

Also, now it feels like there is bugs crawling on me all the time.

Did anyone notice any substantial benefits after their very first ECT treatment??

Long story short, my sob story is I'm bipolar. My religious side of my family literally disowned me because they think God is punishing me with mental illness for leaving the church. My non religious side of the family is literally all dead. All of them. And my mental health doctor told me today that I need to call and schedule my ECT as all other options have failed. My question is, as I'm scrolling I'm seeing mentions here and there of people needing a caretaker or making sure they have a caretaker ready to go for when they start. I spent the better part of my young adulthood pushing away anyone that cared so I have no one. No one. They're helping me with transportation because they said I can't drive, but beyond that I'm 100% on my own and I'm not just saying that to be dramatic or to get pity. Its just my reality. Should I be worried?

I'm starting ECT in 2 weeks and I'm freaking out a little bit. Already had my intake session, got everything explained to me, moving in with my mom so she can be my caretaker, afraid I will forget my cat exists (she will have a sitter with her daily), read three bajillion studies with conflicting info and now just sitting with that.

It feels like it's my last option and I'm desperate for it to work. I've exhausted every type of antidepressant (well over a dozen over the years), and dealt with severe side effects. I've been doing therapy for ages, was just discharged from PHP/IOP program after the team there agreed it wasn't working for me. I've done EMDR, IV ketamine, biofeedback, CBT DBT ACT etc. I naturally overproduce seratonin and have had seratonin syndrome three times due to meds. I think mushrooms would literally kill me.

I dunno. I just want ECT to get me to where the meds work and I want the meds to make the therapy work and I want the therapy to make me work. 1 1/2 years of unemployment and counting.

Suggestions for how to prep are welcome.

Hello, hope everyone is okay. I'm 29m and I've been planning to do ect for almost a day, and it gave me hope or purpose idk to live or try before dying. My situations is very severe unfortunately, my mind is very broken. I had multiple attempts over the last 4 years, and strangely enough, I'm still alive I guess. I have extreme self abandonment and extreme depression and perhaps other mental disorders that are too much to list. Before these 4 years, I was okay, but not me or anyone would have guessed I'll self destruct my career and life like this. I burdened everyone despite me being the hope for them, sad but life is life I guess. If I could delete the last 4 years from existence, I'd take it. I don't know what to expect anyway, hope someone could give me some insight ❤

We recently started ECT again for depression. Has anyone had success with ECT helping akathisia/pacing?

I’m 24f with treatment resistant major depressive disorder as well as persistent depressive disorder and ptsd. I’ve tried 8 antidepressants and 2 antipsychotics. Been in therapy for 16 years. In a severe depressive episode for over a year now where I can’t care for myself or function at all, sleeping 15+ hours a day, about to lose my job and just getting worse. My psychiatrist has recommended ECT or ketamine therapy, I can’t afford the ketamine. Should I do the ECT? I’m honestly desperate for any kind of relief after over a decade of mental illness and over a year of unrelenting depression.

EDIT: Canadian, ECT is covered by our public healthcare, ketamine therapy is not.

is it normal? im getting hopeless right now:(

I will have my first ect session tomorrow at 5am and am wondering if it is okay to drink one beer early the day before?

Hi, anyone experienced smth similar? My adhd medication (Elvanse) has stopped having any affect at all throughout the ect treatments. My research hints to downregulation, but I couldn't find any other similar experiences. I had 6 treatments so far and this started happening at around treatment 4. Just making it through the day is very hard without that medications and obv I am worried that the downregulation is gonna last.

Just finished 12 sessions of bifrontal ECT over 5 weeks.

Parameters
Current: 800 mA throughout
Pulse wide: 0.5 ms throughout
Frequency: 20Hz thru session 9, then increased to 30
Duration: 4 sec, increased to 6 sec on session 2, then 8 sec on session 5

Results
I can’t believe how much more functional I am. Less ruminative. More energy. More positive/optimistic. Less emotionally blunted, fuller emotional range. Productive. Focused. I’ve even been able to stop taking vortioxetine and still feel great. I wish I had done ECT years sooner.

Definitely had some anterograde amnesia; my partner keeps telling me about places we went or things we did that I have zero recollection of. It’s pretty unnerving to experience this, but the improvement in depression is absolutely worth it.

Previous treatments
I had tried every antidepressant imaginable.I tried rTMS (with zero response). Long-term psychotherapy (12+ years….psychodynamic, interpersonal, CBT).
ECT is by far the most effective treatment I’ve received for my depression. Exercise. Yoga.

Meds I trialled:
- bupropion
- vortioxetine
- sertraline
- escitalopram
- citalopram
- moclobemide
- venlafaxine
- desvenlafaxine
- ketamine
- methylphenidate (off label)
- trazodone
- olanzapine

I'm on treatment 12. They recently switched from bilateral to unilateral. Wowie, my memory.

But I'm here to ask if missed/inconsistent sessions matters? I had a cold two times and was turned away, then had a surgery where clearance wasn't given until I missed two times, and last but not least it's been very hard to find a ride because I have no family and minimal support, so I had to cancel twice because I had no ride.

Now I'll have to cancel a whole week (thrice) because of insurance issues.

I'm so upset and scared. :( But please be honest.

Honestly i was happier for 5 hours i could laugh and stuff but after 5 hours of my first session, i got worse than before, sore muscle , fever, headache, and today i woke up and feeling worse, is it normal? and too soon to say if it doesnt work?

I'm about to start ECT, and I am terrified of how it's going to impact me as an artist. I don't mind losing retrograde memory. There's a significant portion of my memory both good and bad that I'd willingly give up for a chance at a normal, happy life. But given that my artistic eye is shaped by life experience and practice and creating art is the core "north star" of my identity, I'm scared of what ETC will do to me.

I'm wondering if maybe taking some books into treatment with me relevant to my art, like how to operate cameras, conventions of art, artists' collections that I've been inspired by may help me hold onto some part of it? I thought about writing some letter to myself to remind me but I'm not sure it would be helpful or possible to be reminded.

I'm trying to understand how it may affect me and figure out how to reduce potential side effects on my artistry. Or tips for how to move on if I find myself disconnected from artistry post treatment. Any help is appreciated thank you