Electro convulsive therapy saved my life AMA

[JoyousCyanCat]

Had three series of ECT (at 19, 21 & 23). Each one saved my life. I feel like it isn’t understood as the extremely effective treatment it is, so AMA and I’ll try and change that.

Hey - did it hurt? Was it suggested to you or did you request it? How did it help and how long before you saw results?

They give you a general anaesthetic, so you don’t feel it. You do often have a headache afterwards. I bit my tongue once, which wasn’t very nice when I woke up.

I had about 18 goes each series, so have a lot.

First time round, they offered it when I was still dangerously ill with depression after 2 months in hospital and no meaningful response to meds.

After that, I asked both times. On the third occasion it was very difficult to convince them, but I’d been stuck in hospital for months and both my mum and partner helped me argue for it. I think the doctors on that ward thought me asking for it was a symptom of being ill, so having my parents and partner as back up was invaluable.

In what way did it save your life?

I was actively suicidal because I was so depressed and so agitated. It was dangerous and unsustainable. The ECT helped me recover in a way medicine and therapy had failed to do.

It felt like it blasted through all of the awful thought patterns I was stuck in and let me start from scratch.

How old are you now? Do you think it’s a treatment you might need periodically throughout your life?

Do you also have therapy?

Ruby Wax also swears by it I believe.

I'm so glad it was effective for you. My DM had ECT but it was ineffective. I think it was largely because her course kept getting interrupted by lifts breaking, being sent to the general hospital for a check, then someone would feed her --> no GA, etc.

We did meet another lady who was having ECT and the change in her was remarkable over a short period of time.

Sorry, missed the last bit of this. Yes, it helped. After about 12 sessions (you have 2 or 3 a week) I was significantly better. Each time, I stopped treatment at that point then relapsed within a couple of weeks so started again immediately.

It’s heavy going, so I’d risk stopping too soon if I was doing it again, so long as I knew I could get started again fast if necessary.

I’m 45, so it’s been a long time. I feel safe knowing it’s there it my mental health ever gets that bad again. I actually need to get round to writing a living will/advance directive, to support any future requests.

It’s hard to convince people that an unusual request is rational, when you are evidently in an irrational state of mind!

That’s awful. I’m sorry for your DM and you. She should have been given the best chance at benefiting from it if they were going to try it at all.

I don’t have therapy any more. I have at various points in my life, but more to deal with the impact of living with a severe mental illness (now diagnosed as bipolar disorder) and to think through experiences associated with that and how to stay healthy despite it.

Thanks for being so open. I’m glad it had such a significant positive impact for you.

Thanks 😊

I didn't realise they still did this. For some reason I remember Caroline Aherne (God rest her soul) having it.

I hope you're ok now ☺️

I am glad you are currently in a better place. I know some people have found ECT lifechanging, so the popular culture impression of it can be unhelpful. I gather memory problems can be one of the side effects. Was that something you experienced?

I’m much better now thanks.

Whenever I reflect on it I’m surprised that is treated as either something barbaric and/or that doesn’t happen any more.

Depression is so prevalent in our society and ECT has such high success rates (about 80%) compared to antidepressants (about 50%). Obviously, the side effects are significantly different and it’s much more expensive, but still… It’s weird that it’s such a taboo.

I think the potential for people feeling a bit more hope knowing there is another option if more conservative treatment options don’t end up working, could be good for their chances of recovery even if the vast majority don’t end up having it 🤷🏻‍♀️

If my mental health gets dodgy these days, I definitely take hope and find solace knowing I have it in my arsenal if things spiral.

Yes. That was the worst side effect for me. I didn’t lose any long term memories but couldn’t keep track of my day-to-day life. People would have come to visit me in hospital and I’d have no memory of it at all. It was very disorienting.

I was ill enough that it was a fair trade off, but I wouldn’t be able to live a normal life with occasional treatments, they way you occasionally hear of people doing (the actress Carrie Fisher, I think).

How do they do it?
How do you feel immediately afterwards?
How does it work and how do you know it’s the ECT causing the improvement rather than meds?
How long do the improvements last?

Great AMA op.. I'm another whose life was saved by ECT. I was very upset that they suggested it as I only had one flew over the cuckoos nest as reference. It's absolutely nothing like that..

Fast from midnight, go down to the clinic, drip in hand, count down from 10, mask over face, lights went out, next thing I was waking up in recovery and the worst part of recovery was they would insist on taking tea and toast. I hate tea. Fuzzy head for the rest of the day but it broke my depression.

I was constantly suicidal for over 2 years straight with many attempts. medication wasn't breaking the depression, after 16 sessions it was like my world had turned from a very dull dark grey to colour. it allowed medication to help but it couldn't break the depression on its own.

I had a second course to boost the original 6 months later. and have never needed it again. I was 21 when I had it. I'm 50 now..

if I was at a point where I felt I needed it. I would be 1st to ask for it.

They give you a general anaesthetic then a muscle relaxant. They use an electrode thing on each temple and increase the charge until the EEG monitor shows they’ve induced a seizure.

Afterwards you wake up in a recovery room, as though you’ve had an operation. I always felt muddled and tired and had a headache. Sometimes I was a bit weepy.

I’d been on so many different meds with no improvement each time in hospital they try at least one new medication regimen and you’ve usually tried a few as you’ve gone downhill in the community. Once they decide to try ECT they held my meds static to keep track of side effects and what was working. The turnaround with the ECT exactly fitted the predicted response.

Each time, I stopped after about a dozen sessions then started to relapse after a couple of weeks, so started again and it held better after more goes. I had significant relapses every couple of years but as I grew older (and had more experience of successful recovery?) each was less bad than the last.

Exactly this 🙌

I’m glad to hear it worked for you and that you’re well now. 💖

So glad you are feeling well op. Do you think this treatment would be useful for someone who has a panic disorder or a disregulated nervous system?

I have had two courses of ECT and, like you, it saved my life. I am lucky in that I have no long term side effects apart from having almost zero memory of the ECT period. I am about to start maintenance - the plan is to have one session every three weeks to keep things on track.

It took a lot of persuasion from my psychiatrist, but I always tell her that I am so glad she kept going. She recently asked me to talk to another of her patients about it which I did gladly.

Were you diagnosed with BP at the time of the ECT? Or was that later?
have you ever had any other diagnosis?
I’m so pleased it had a positive impact for you.

I don’t think it’s used for anxiety or panic per-se. It is used mainly for depression, but I think it can be helpful with mania and “catatonia” which I’ve always imagined as a kind of burnout.

Do they think the effects on memory will be manageable with only occasional treatments? It’s so weird not being able to make memories properly.

Good luck with it.