Has anyone had electroconvulsive therapy?

[Springisnear4]

Has anyone had electroconvulsive therapy or know anyone who has and can share any experiences please?

Sorry to hear that @SB1967 - do you have a crisis number you can call? I’m just about to go to bed but wanted to boost this for you, or you may want to start a new thread to get more traction

Thank you I do have several crisis numbers but the hospital one is office hours

My dad first time amazing results. Second time not so. Third time needed resuscitation

I would call your gp today @SB1967 for an emergency app. Remember you can go to a&e at any time if you don’t feel safe xx

Talk to your GP or specialist as a matter of urgency. You may benefit from a MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) before resorting to ECT. They are extremely effective for chronic depression. The dietary restrictions are a pain but as nothing compared to how you feel now. Cheese, marmite and alcohol to be avoided. Some people prefer to avoid all fermented products and those containing yeast. Seek medical help, please.

They've just told me that my request for ECT was discussed and rejected.
I've told them I'll kill myself if I don't get it

Probably not a good idea but.....

Discussed in your absence? I'm sorry. Things haven't changed much then.

I really feel for you, it's a horrible place to be
Have they offered you anything / any sort of plan? Is there an individual you trust who you could ask to speak to and discuss a way forwards?

They are engaging with me but they don't seem to grasp the gravity of my situation.

It has a place. Have you heard of TMS? That can be very effective too.

My MIL had these treatments about 15 years ago. She was severely depressed, no medication or other therapy had helped. She had good results over the course of about 8 treatments. She had some short term memory loss at the time, and still doesn't have a lot of memory around the period of the treatments, but her short term memory has recovered. She hasn't had a reoccurance of the sever depression and in fact has been able to stop most medications and maintain a good outlook.

She did find the treatments mentally and also physically exhausting, she wasn't able to do much else the week she had a session and was overall lethargic for a few months. Her husband did a lot of work to keep her on track, went to all her appointments for everything since her memory was so impaired, and wrote everything down in a book for her.

I think that I'll have to self erase if they keep refusing me ECT.
I don't know on what grounds they're refusing but I consider myself to be in fight for my life.
It's just become agonising and it cannot continue.

I hope you have told them this bluntly. 💜You deserve help and you're important in this world. I know you might not believe that, but you matter.

If I threaten to delete myself I suppose they'll section me under the mental health act. But obviously they are short of beds and will want rid of me as soon as possible. I don't know how they expect me to continue with depression this severe. It's not just depression It's an unbearable fear. It's a miracle I've not become completely insane.

If you have resistant depression, have you tried TMS? It can work really well.

I don't know what you have told professionals or what 'help' you may or may not have had. My own experience is that once you are in the system (in my family's case, community mental health), it can be quite supportive. It's just a bit of work getting in there. If you don't feel you can advocate for yourself, is there someone in your life who could support you to do that? I've done that for family members with good effect.

I've heard of TMS.
I actually used Flow Neuroscience for several months last year. That didn't work at all.
I've now been given an appointment to see a psychiatrist. I guess this will determine my fate.

Good. I hope you don't have to wait too long. Hopefully this will get you moving towards something that you'll find more helpful. 💛

I hope the appointment goes well and you don't have to wait too long. Do you have anyone you can get to come with you and help you explain your feelings fully, or maybe worth writing it down in advance?

Yes I'll do that
I'm doing so many things to try and beat severe depression but it's not working
I am scared of what's going to occur when they refuse me ECT again which I assume they will

From what I know, and it may be different for your practice, ECT is only done when everything else has been tried and failed. If you haven't tried TMS yet, I suspect that would come first. Can you ask about it?

It's definitely worth asking but unfortunately TMS is not available in all NHS trusts, it has fairly limited availability.

My mum had this a long time ago. It was pretty horrible for us as kids. She subsequently had no memory of the period even though some significant things happened during the period of her treatment.i don’t remember there being any benefits, certainly no long term improvement.

They've again rejected my request for ECT.
They talk about supporting me, therapy etc. but none of this makes me feel enthusiastic about the future. I told them.that I feel this is the end. My depression is just so severe. I can't talk to people, I can't get out of bed half the time , I can't go outside in daytime without immense dread it's just unbearable.
I don't know what happens next. I told them I've no idea what I'll do as I can't predict how I'll feel one moment to the next.

A man I know recently had in in Australia so it's not outlawed. He didn't find it particularly helpful however.