Has anyone had electroconvulsive therapy?

[Springisnear4]

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

I'm sorry you feel alone. I know it's hard to do but keep pushing. Is there a patient advocate you can engage with, who can work on your behalf? You deserve help.

How did she access this?

I’ve been where you are now a long time ago. It’s very hard and you do feel very isolated and alone. As PP says, keep pushing for help and treatment. I was eventually given a very good therapist who basically saved my life but it took a while to get to that point. Use all the resources you can, even if that means checking in to A&E if you feel unsafe. Keep talking to your GP and anyone else involved in your care. It’s not easy but you can get through this.

They’re very well off so I assume privately.

It wouldnt surprise me that ECT can help some people because essentially - and I know this isnt the same - when someone has a stroke it can cause huge changes in emotional presentation or behaviours. Seizures arent quite the same but along those lines.

Im quite interested in it for myself but at the mometn trying to avoid even anti depressants so no one is going to consider that for me.

ECT was extremely effective for my mum when she developed severe psychosis the resulted in sectioning, but it’s considered a treatment of last resort not least because it requires anaesthetic and that’s not without risk. She was eventually put on a maintenance regimen for about four years because it was the only treatment that kept the psychosis at bay, but it was a long and difficult process to get there - it was basically “either you do the ECT or she’s a long-term psychiatric inpatient who could otherwise be at home.” It seemed ridiculous at the time that we had to fight for a treatment that we knew was effective whilst the consultant tinkered with medication that didn’t touch the sides, but they are very restricted as to when they can offer it.

As she got older and her physical health declined the anaesthetist was increasingly worried about the risk. Eventually she got to the stage where dementia meant her GAD that was triggering the psychosis took a back seat and she was able to manage without it.

A newer treatment that doesn’t require anaesthetic or sedation is TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) which was approved by NICE about ten years ago and can be effective in some cases. We asked about it for mum and our consultant wasn’t aware of it at the time, but I think it’s more known about now. I don’t know whether it’s available from all health authorities but it can be done privately. Daily sessions are required over several weeks (so maybe 30+ sessions as, as opposed to 6-8 twice weekly ECT sessions). It might be worth asking your healthcare team about it.

Good luck, I hope that you find an effective regime that will work to get you back on an even keel.

What do people think of this?

https://www.flowneuroscience.com/shop/

I really think there should be caution about things without medical advice. There is a technique known as tDCS that you can do regularly at home. Usually it builds on TMS after treatment, if my understanding is correct. I know someone who does tDCS. However, I know one psychiatrist who has recommended it and one who says there is no evidence for it. Totally different views. What I have seen is that it's part of a program of support. I'd suggest it should be discussed with a psychiatrist.

I don't know if this is the same thing but I do know that brain stimulation practices use careful mapping to get the right spot.

I used it for a few months last year didn't help at all. In fact I think it made me worse.

So effectively they're telling people if you're not ill enough we're not giving you ECT even if you threaten to kill yourself (which I did) and actually then go through with it.

Jesus Christ.

I should add that they said that they'd reconsider my situation in a couple of months. But I've joined a 24 hour gym. I'm on a high dose of medication and I'm going for counselling and it's not working. I don't know how they expect me to get out of this. Are they waiting until I sink into psychosis or something?

That's a pretty naive statement. ECT has well documented side effects, especially related to memory.

Have I had it? Yes. I still have memory problems that are noticeable to others and I'm not as intelligent as I once was.

Would I do it again? Yes, because it saved my life.

Please don't minimise it. Anyone considering it should carefully research and weigh up the pros and cons. Not be lulled into a false sense of security

OP, I'm so sorry you are experiencing such a horrible time with insufficient help.

Would you consider enlisting the support of a MH Advocate? I've only ever had one in hospital but you can probably access them in secondary care, have a look on MINDs website or their helpline.

Best wishes

Whilst it was very effective for my mum, especially the first time round when her physical health was better, she did relapse after a few months. It wasn’t a permanent fix. Mum was in her seventies when she became seriously ill. She had been on antidepressants for decades and saw her GP monthly for what was in effect talking therapy (although she was very suspicious of therapy speak!), and that had kept her ticking over and enabled her to live a fulfilling life. Exactly what caused her to get so drastically worse is a mystery, but I suspect it was the just the biochemistry of aging - whatever was going in her brain that had caused the periodic GAD just got stuck, like the valve was jammed opened .

She had some physical issues prior to her second round of ECT and whilst it did get her out of psychosis she wasn’t ever back to full health, and it did impact on her memory (she had no recollection of any of her time in hospital or any of her maintenance ECT treatment - it effectively wiped the day). We have no idea how it interacted with her other health conditions, but at the time her mental health was basically the most critical problem.

It was in effect a “short, sharp shock” that jolted her out of a critical situation where she was entirely detached from reality, but it’s not necessarily a long term solution for chronic illness. A multifaceted approach involving getting the right medication, talking therapy like CBT that gives you strategies to manage the condition and staying as active as you can will always be the first line treatment, because ECT is a big thing to go through. Because of her co-morbidities they didn’t really have many other options for mum, but multiple anaesthetics are hard on the body and the risk increases each time. Having a seizure isn’t ideal. I’m a big advocate for ECT in so far as I think it’s far less traumatic than its reputation, but it’s the last resort for a reason.

talking therapy like CBT that gives you strategies to manage the condition

It was long term CBT that got me out of my situation. I found counselling a waste of time and psychotherapy didn’t help in the slightest as I went round and round in circles. Finding the right treatment for you is crucial. That said, I used everything I could to get help and I had a very good GP at the time.

Thanks. I dont have a psychiatrist because in the world of the NHS moderate depression isnt a referral on to the MHT. And when it has been many years ago, I was simply discharged back to the GP again.

I suppose Im a bit desparate.

As I said two weeks ago they've rejected my request for ECT once again.
I have depression so severe that it feels like I'm slowly going insane. I'm suffering terribly and it just feels so unfair. I don't think about anything but how to k*ll myself. How to get out of this hell. This AGONY.
I'm guessing that the mental health crisis is too big for them to handle. We have a vast chronic social isolation problem and a vast mental health crisis. I regard my existence as a fate much worse than death. They should legalise voluntary assisted euthanasia and let us escape this purgatory. This hell is only gonna get worse we all know this. The system don't give a f**k

The son of a friend (he is in his late 30s) was offered it.
TBH it makes no sense to me. He was offered it as his MH team said it would be quicker than medication to work. He was not ill enough for hospital, and was being seen at home by CMHT, not even crisis team. He had only tried one medication when they offered it. He had several sessions, and he was out driving a few days later after each one.

It makes no sense when some people have tried everything under the sun and still get denied it when they ask.

That is extraordinary
And it makes me very f***g angry

I know, and I am so confused by it too. Most of the people I know who have had ECT have had years of being sectioned, and trying everything already.

I hope you find something that helps

I would think that was very rare
I used to be a mental health nurse and ECT is usually a last resort treatment because of the implications ,dont get me wrong I have witnessed some remarkable results but its not something that should be consdereed lightly ,some out patients maybe receiving maintenance ECT but ime its not usually a first line treatment
Im not doubting what you say but agreeing it doesnt really make sense.

The NHS is continuing to deny me electro convulsive therapy despite my very severe suicidal depression.
I was in A&E a few nights ago and the mental health employee who dealt with me told me that if I went private I'd not need the consent of psychiatrists as I would in the NHS. I'm shocked that this is the case and I'm going to have to research this to make sure it's actually correct . I could afford to go private as I'm living off a small inheritance which will run out in the next year or two.
Obviously I'm in an horrendous state and would do anything to get out of it.

Obviously ECT is not guaranteed to work and has potential side effects but I've got nothing to lose at this point. It's just impossible to live with depression this severe.

I understand that there is also a placebo effect with ECT.

Would be grateful if anyone could help me with any of these issues.

My uncle had a course of it, probably about 5 years ago now. He's had moderate to severe depression pretty much all of his adult life. He's quite a complex case and always has been.

I don't know the ins and outs, as I only heard about it 3rd hand, but it seems that it did help at least enough to be worth trying. I think it was a bit of a last ditch attempt treatment.

Nowadays, he seems to manage. I think being retired helps. But his wife is very long-suffering. I don't think she even listens to his complaints any more!

The thing is, the effects probably won't last then you're back to square one. What classes of meds have you been on?

GP told me I'd tried all available medication. SSRI etc
I know that ECT doesn't necessarily last but I've heard about people having it regularly.

Wow, this is all very fascinating. The only time I knew of it being used IRL was on the actress Vivien Leigh.

Are you considering it, OP? x