Had this treatment two years ago, twelve ECTs twice a week. It helped me a lot, I felt alive again after feeling numb and hopeless for about two months. My short term memory was affected in hospital (couldn’t remember where the plates where located in the kitchen for example). And about three weeks pre-hospitalisation I still can’t remember. But my memory became like normal (thank goodness) when I stopped ECT and was discharged from hospital. I think it’s a fantastic treatment, the anesthesia was not that hard at all, actually I liked the feeling of falling asleep (the effect of the medicines) a lot, It felt somewhat euphoric to me while It lasted only a few seconds.
Negatives: these do not outweigh the positives in my case. I would do it all again. But, it was pretty out there to go through. I was on lithium and lamotrigine. Cant remember if withheld I’m sure they would have. Perhaps this is why i had rough wake ups then?? Remember laying in wheely bed freezing cold in corridor in a line up. Upon entering the partition no one spoke to me gently or calmly, a few words whilst i felt cold gel on my scalp and got a cannula in. Loads of students watching. They got to learn so that’s ok but it was more than strange. As i floated off i felt someone grabbing my ankles and moving my head. Didn’t feel cruel, but just like an assembly line. Woke up so confused, sobbing my heart out, drooling, coughing, i wasn’t a crier i was so numb usually. Many times i forgot i was married or had a son. I remembered when they called my husband and spoke to him i asked him loads of questions. Hands down bonkers. Ngl it’s pretty hard. But it tapped some feelings and eventually i got better. I can function and work and parent. I’d tried so many medications i felt more risks/side effects from those and felt exhausted and torn in two. I’ll forever be grateful for the drs and patients who endured this and allowed science to learn and allow me to truly live ❤
I've been in and out of psychiatric wards for the last 25 years. I've seen ECT work miracles in patients here and there... But watching them come out of it super confused and their short term memory completely depleted for a while. My psychiatric nurse practitioner and I have briefly discussed ECT, but transportation was quite difficult.
My experience of ECT in the public system has left me traumatised & with memory loss. My course of coerced 12 bilateral sessions was aborted at #9 due to the cognitive issues it was causing. It is completely barbaric & the staff completely unempathetic. I am trying to desensitise myself to the reaction I have to just the mention of ECT but 5min in watching this video & had to turn it off due to panic attack it was causing. With so much evidence in the literature arguing against ECT, or that it’s no more effective than a placebo, how is it even allowed to be performed?….Of course anyone is going to become compliant after having an electrical lobotomy! Funnily enough it did absolutely nothing to fix my PTSD, post concussion syndrome cognitive issues or SI …
This was very interesting. I had many ECTs in my late twenties. I’m from Sweden and it seems it’s almost an identical procedure in Australia. Feel free to ask me questions!
If neither of you have gone through it, you don't have the first clue what it is like. General anesthesia is not nothing either. It is a very hard thing to experience. SMH This is the same sort of crap that leads to terrible withdrawals because most doctors don't experience the pain of getting off meds. I had a clown(aka psychiatrist) recommend ECT despite the fact I am epileptic. I said, "only if my neurologist agrees with it". Of course, she said no and he dropped the stupid idea. Fast forward to this last summer, another clown said I should have ECT "because it is used to stop status epilepticus." I said "duh" but that is also a side-effect of the treatment. He kept pushing, so I told this clown, "ask my neurologist". He said he is a medical doctor. I told him he is not a real medical doctor, because they aren't. Ask them to order a simple thyroid test and watch them screw it up over and over, asking for the wrong tests. I told him that I trust my primary doctor and neurologist over any psychiatrist every single day and twice on Sunday. I told him to put in a request for esketamine infusions, and he did, so I canceled all remaining appointments with that clown. I have my first infusion appointment tomorrow. People wanting to be psychiatrists should have to take an antidepressant and antipsychotic while still in med school for at least a year and then taper off. If they want to prescribe ECT, rTMS, Ketamine, etc, they should have to do it first so they know what it is like and not just regurgitate what they read in a book. I know you will say "but that is dangerous!". You are correct and that is the point.
Positives: ECT saved my life. No doubt about it. Trigger warning- persistent depression my whole adult life, medicated, but chronic pain at 40yo was too much and I’d attempted su!c!de in hosp and thank goodness i was crap at it, i can’t even imagine how i could’ve ever ever ever done that. ECT was an absolutely weird and horrible experience over and over, but I’d do it all again if i ever find myself that sick, such was the benefit. I tell people I’ve had it if it’s relevant, and they are often horrified. But i explain the good it did for me and try to reduce the stigma. I had 14 rounds over 4 weeks then a couple of months later i only needed 8 rounds over 3 weeks. That was 12 years ago and none since. I’m still medicated and prob always will be but I’m discharged from my psychiatrist a couple of years ago and only on an as needed basis now. Pls be open to it if your dr recommends! (Sounds crazy but one day i noticed that ‘my colours were back’ - i saw bright green on a shampoo bottle that had looked greyish green before.)
Psych was recommending ECT for me, this video is a great coincidence that I'm glad to have been made by a creator I enjoy at such an interesting time
Had this treatment two years ago, twelve ECTs twice a week. It helped me a lot, I felt alive again after feeling numb and hopeless for about two months. My short term memory was affected in hospital (couldn’t remember where the plates where located in the kitchen for example). And about three weeks pre-hospitalisation I still can’t remember. But my memory became like normal (thank goodness) when I stopped ECT and was discharged from hospital. I think it’s a fantastic treatment, the anesthesia was not that hard at all, actually I liked the feeling of falling asleep (the effect of the medicines) a lot, It felt somewhat euphoric to me while It lasted only a few seconds.
Negatives: these do not outweigh the positives in my case. I would do it all again.
But, it was pretty out there to go through. I was on lithium and lamotrigine. Cant remember if withheld I’m sure they would have. Perhaps this is why i had rough wake ups then?? Remember laying in wheely bed freezing cold in corridor in a line up. Upon entering the partition no one spoke to me gently or calmly, a few words whilst i felt cold gel on my scalp and got a cannula in. Loads of students watching. They got to learn so that’s ok but it was more than strange. As i floated off i felt someone grabbing my ankles and moving my head. Didn’t feel cruel, but just like an assembly line. Woke up so confused, sobbing my heart out, drooling, coughing, i wasn’t a crier i was so numb usually. Many times i forgot i was married or had a son. I remembered when they called my husband and spoke to him i asked him loads of questions. Hands down bonkers. Ngl it’s pretty hard. But it tapped some feelings and eventually i got better. I can function and work and parent. I’d tried so many medications i felt more risks/side effects from those and felt exhausted and torn in two. I’ll forever be grateful for the drs and patients who endured this and allowed science to learn and allow me to truly live ❤
I've been in and out of psychiatric wards for the last 25 years. I've seen ECT work miracles in patients here and there... But watching them come out of it super confused and their short term memory completely depleted for a while. My psychiatric nurse practitioner and I have briefly discussed ECT, but transportation was quite difficult.
My experience of ECT in the public system has left me traumatised & with memory loss. My course of coerced 12 bilateral sessions was aborted at #9 due to the cognitive issues it was causing. It is completely barbaric & the staff completely unempathetic. I am trying to desensitise myself to the reaction I have to just the mention of ECT but 5min in watching this video & had to turn it off due to panic attack it was causing.
With so much evidence in the literature arguing against ECT, or that it’s no more effective than a placebo, how is it even allowed to be performed?….Of course anyone is going to become compliant after having an electrical lobotomy! Funnily enough it did absolutely nothing to fix my PTSD, post concussion syndrome cognitive issues or SI …
This was very interesting. I had many ECTs in my late twenties. I’m from Sweden and it seems it’s almost an identical procedure in Australia. Feel free to ask me questions!
If neither of you have gone through it, you don't have the first clue what it is like. General anesthesia is not nothing either. It is a very hard thing to experience. SMH This is the same sort of crap that leads to terrible withdrawals because most doctors don't experience the pain of getting off meds.
I had a clown(aka psychiatrist) recommend ECT despite the fact I am epileptic. I said, "only if my neurologist agrees with it". Of course, she said no and he dropped the stupid idea.
Fast forward to this last summer, another clown said I should have ECT "because it is used to stop status epilepticus." I said "duh" but that is also a side-effect of the treatment.
He kept pushing, so I told this clown, "ask my neurologist". He said he is a medical doctor. I told him he is not a real medical doctor, because they aren't. Ask them to order a simple thyroid test and watch them screw it up over and over, asking for the wrong tests.
I told him that I trust my primary doctor and neurologist over any psychiatrist every single day and twice on Sunday. I told him to put in a request for esketamine infusions, and he did, so I canceled all remaining appointments with that clown. I have my first infusion appointment tomorrow.
People wanting to be psychiatrists should have to take an antidepressant and antipsychotic while still in med school for at least a year and then taper off. If they want to prescribe ECT, rTMS, Ketamine, etc, they should have to do it first so they know what it is like and not just regurgitate what they read in a book.
I know you will say "but that is dangerous!". You are correct and that is the point.
Thank you for disseminating reliable information for a topic where there's plenty of misconcepttions and hysteria.
🤍
eighth.
Positives: ECT saved my life. No doubt about it. Trigger warning- persistent depression my whole adult life, medicated, but chronic pain at 40yo was too much and I’d attempted su!c!de in hosp and thank goodness i was crap at it, i can’t even imagine how i could’ve ever ever ever done that. ECT was an absolutely weird and horrible experience over and over, but I’d do it all again if i ever find myself that sick, such was the benefit.
I tell people I’ve had it if it’s relevant, and they are often horrified. But i explain the good it did for me and try to reduce the stigma.
I had 14 rounds over 4 weeks then a couple of months later i only needed 8 rounds over 3 weeks. That was 12 years ago and none since. I’m still medicated and prob always will be but I’m discharged from my psychiatrist a couple of years ago and only on an as needed basis now. Pls be open to it if your dr recommends! (Sounds crazy but one day i noticed that ‘my colours were back’ - i saw bright green on a shampoo bottle that had looked greyish green before.)