ECT treatment

[kitkatsoppy]

Hi,

 I had 12 rounds of ECT two years ago, and my memory from those days onwards has been horrendous.  I was just wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experiences with the treatment.

[Mod note: we've pinned this thread to the top of the Treatments section, as we have regular inquiries from members about ECT. Other threads detailing members' experiences with ECT are linked to below:

Tired of being depressed now - looking at ECT?

ECT - my experience

My wife has just had ECT - what is the recovery time?

Updated: impending ECT treatment

[Ovait]

Hi Shan,

I had 12 rounds of ECT 18 months ago while I was an involuntary inpatient in hospital. I have very little memory of my 3 month hospital stay ( I didn’t even know the doctor who had been treating me!) & it’s sketchy for a few weeks after. My memory for things before ECT is pretty good. I don’t think it helped me at all & the more I read about ECT the more I feel completely violated. My short term memory, concentration & focus since is considerably worse then pre ECT. I’m told this is just the depression...except I wasn’t this bad pre ECT. I don’t believe it helps everyone. I believe the research that shows it causes brain damage that (supposedly) makes you feel slightly euphoric afterwards but as your brain heals (neurogenisis) the depression comes back.

Have you got a psychologist to chat with? I find talking to mine so much more helpful than the ECT ever was. I hope things settle for you.

[Guest_0986]

In 2017 I had 12 sessions of ECT, and to date I'm still having issues with my memory.

No professional I have spoken to can assist with this. I started work 13 months ago and to be able to function I have to write in a notebook. Even writing in that doesn't help as my boss will say I explained this all to you last week, you have to do better.

For four weeks now i have been going to a gym twice a week, the nutritionist has given me a meal plan.

That's not helping either.

Has someone else had this experience?

[Mona_Lisa]

12 ect rounds last year. About a month of short term memory loss. Not completely sure it helped but hitting rock bottom again and no one seems .to have any idea other than to offer 6months of maintenance treatment of one a week. Makes no sense to me.

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi Mona Lisa,

Great to see you writing in. I am sorry to hear that you are feeling like you are hitting rock bottom again after a year of ECT and that the only solutions presented to you are more ECT treatments.

I wonder if you have considered a second opinion on finding out what other treatment solutions are out there for you?

It is great that you are reaching out for support here on the forum. Besides using ECT last year, are there any other things that have helped you when you are feeling low?

Sometimes writing out your feelings can help and I encourage you to use the forum if you feel comfortable doing this.

You are not alone. We are here and we are listening.

Nurse Jenn

[Kmmmmm]

Hello everyone,

I have never tried ect or tms but from what you guys have said it is a really bad option.

i have been treated for my depression for 7 years. I’ve committed to multiple forms or psychotherapy, taken every class of antidepressant on the market, taken up yoga and running, adjusted my diet, quit smoking.

I have a limited support network. Most of my friends have disappeared as they were sick of the same story or felt I was a negative person. I have my dad, but I know I need to get well so that I can care for him. He is getting older now and I am in my 30s.

i am trying everything I know how, I really want to remember what it is like to feel well. I wish I could remember what it was like to enjoy something. I am really loosing hope. I know I can’t fight this forever.

what can I do ? Does anyone know something that can help?

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi Kmmmmm,

Its great to see you reaching out here on the forum and it sounds like you have a lot of insight and experience in seeking treatment. It sounds like you have made a huge effort to get your mood on track and well done for taking big steps such as quitting smoking, starting some exercise and changing your diet. You must be really frustrated doing all these changes and not having the right level of improvement in your symptoms. I wonder if you have ever kept a mood journal and tracked your mood daily to see if there are any specific triggers. There is a few mood tracking apps like Daylio that some people find helpful.

I haven't had very much experience with TMS (Transcranical Magnetic Stimulation) however there are some other threads on the forum where people have had good experiences with the treatment. I think the most frustrating thing I have read about it on the forum is that TMS is not covered by Medicare at the moment. You can have a look by using the search bar above and looking up TMS.

ECT is a treatment I have had a lot of experience with and there are both pros and cons to this type of intervention. Your health professional (GP, Psychiatrist) would be best placed to discuss with you the impact of ECT treatment and the side effects that can occur.

There are some other treatments that you haven't listed that some people find helpful, such as Mindfulness. I wonder if this is something you have ever tried or discussed with your Health Professional?

I also wonder if you have tried group therapy - sometimes being in a group can help with symptoms as well as improve your support network through having a shared experience. The forum is great place for this as well. There are often group therapy sessions available for low mood or anxiety. Perhaps discuss this at your next health professional appointment to see if there are any in your area.

You are not alone in struggling to find the right fit in a treatment that resolves your symptoms. Persistence and support are key in searching out what you need. We are here, and listening.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn

[blondguy]

Hi Kmmmmm and everyone

My brother had ECT and did experience some improvement afterwards...Just a note...this was for his own set of symptoms

The forums also have an excellent thread on 'Mindfulness' and is an active discussion on the forums...Its a copy & paste link below which does provide additional clarity where Mindfulness is concerned

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/mindfulness-what-is-it-(even-if-you-dont-know-please-post-so-we-can-help-grow-the-forums-accordingly)

my kind thoughts

Paul

[SlipperySlope]

Hi Kitkat...

ive had many rounds of ECT over a 6 year period... probably well over 100 treatments... I think I’m the long run and effect on my depression in helped a little and kept me alive because I’m fairly resistant to medications... I also didn’t have much success with TMS... however the memory effects have been shocking for me, but it seems in the opposite way to most... I have little to no memory of my childhood or years leading up to when I started having ECT. My mum tells me that my memory loss mainly became apparent when my doctor changed his approach and positioning of the electrodes to a different form of ECT. Given there are different forms that can impact memory etc differently you could have a chat to your doctor about that?
my psychologist is wanting me to have some more now however I’m too scared of the memory loss since I’m doing well in a career that needs me to think on the spot...

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi SlipperySlope,

Thanks for sharing your story here on this thread. It is a really important topic to give voice to as many people experience some of the impacts of ECT but go through this journey in silence.

It's great to hear that you are going well in your career and are working collaboratively with your psychologist together to find the best strategies to keep you on your healing journey.

Wishing you best,

Nurse Jenn

[Roadsend]

An old thread now which I only just found, it answers a lot of  things I had been wondering about. I had some 30 + sessions of ETC,I was told there might be some short term memory loss but given the impression it would only be minor, tempory  and most likely just no memory of the treatment day, well just like many of the other posts here huge tracks of memory are missing, that is off putting but I could accept that if it was tempory and if it would help releave some of the misery but also like other posters 3 years on my memory of things happening now is terrible and my ability to think ahead to problem solve in non existent, and  it didn't seem to help long term anyway. I lost a lot more than  what was inferred . examples, I see the bosses dog all the time, I know her well, the other day I couldn't remember her name, same as the office lady I've known for years, I talk to all the time, couldn't remember her name either and no amount of thinking helped, I forget how to get to locations that I've been to often enough it should be automatic. On the + side I've got plenty to watch on TV as doesn't matter if I have seen it before, I wont remember it anyway, used to be if I had seen it before I new it in the 1st couple of minutes, now my wife tells me we have seen this, I used to say "I haven't" and believed I hadn't  but now  I realise she is most likely correct I just don't remember seeing it, I cant trust my memory  any more, don't know if that is permanent or if it will improve but it's been 3+ years now. Given the way the side effects seem to be glossed over I thought I was just a 1 off bad experience but reading here I see I'm really 1 of the many, and here is the best part, given my lack of improvement with meds and therapy their keen to try ECT again, if I do how much will I lose this time, it would be nice to hear more from success stories to balance this topic