Has anyone had electroconvulsive therapy?

[Springisnear4]

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

Have you had an SNRI? Do you see a psychiatrist for prescribing purposes? The thing with ECT is that the effects will slow even with repeated attempts. It can also cause some damage to the brain which isn't reversible. I understand why you want it, but I don't think it's a long term solution. My suicidal depression didn't respond until I was put on an SNRI. Not everyone responds to SSRIs. There are also tricyclics and MAOIs, which are older, but can still be prescribed.

My mother had ECT, but she still needed long term management with medications for the rest of her life.

So what are they trying now? Have you had antipsychotics to augment the antidepressant?

It saved my life

OP have a read through the NICE guidelines. Check they have gone through the options in section 1.9 and then look at section 1.13.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng222/chapter/recommendations#further-line-treatment

I always thought it was barbaric and should be banned, but I recently had the opportunity to see it as a part of my placement in a healthcare degree I am doing.

Patient was a young lad who was in a catatonic state (didn’t speak, flat facial expression, starting into space) after having a bad reaction to smoking cannabis. He was placed on the bed and gently tied down and they administered the electroconvulsive therapy. It was quite awful to watch him thrashing about but it was well controlled and his vitals were monitored.

He had some time to come around afterwards and was then speaking short sentences, and responding to us with nods, making eye contact etc. He’s had more sessions since and improves after each one, he now laughs and you can have a conversation with him and he’s gradually getting back to normal. Improvements in his condition are noted after each sessions.

It really has the potential to change lives and should be embraced more

What other groups of meds?

I am shocked that the patient was thrashing around. The anaesthetic and muscle relaxants should mean that at the most you see the twitch of an eyelid or toe. I am surprised to hear this happened so recently.

And patients have soft safety straps to stop them slipping off the bed. That reads a bit better than the phrase being ‘tied down’ I think.

Had Venlafaxine.
I consider my life to be at risk.
That's the only reason I'm considering ECT.
I rang BUPA but didn't get a clear answer on whether it's much easier to get privately than in the NHS (which is what someone in A&E said to me the other night)

I used to be a mental health nurse i have witnessd ECT being administed msny times
I have never seen a patient thrash around.
I have witnessd some slight clenching
When i was a student nurse we watched a very old film about un modified ECT which was awful , but with sedation and muscle relaxants its nothing like that
I too have seen some rematkable results from ECT.

Is there an assessment by your MH team (if you even have a MH team as they're quick to drop people) about why you're not responding to the medication and what their ongoing treatment plan is, do you have anything writing?

Im wondering if they're considering or you've heard them mention that they think its behavioural, therefore not treatable?

Do you have an advocate?

Are you under a psychiatrist?

The thing is, if you go privately, the psychiatrist is going to need to do a full assessment and follow ups with you. It won't just be a case of administering the ECT, even if they agree. They're going to want to go down the medication route first. Venlafaxine isn't the only SNRI and there will be combinations of medications to try first for treatment resistant depression. I know you need to be out of the black pit, but even private psychiatrists will have treatment protocols as they're licensed under their governing body and can be held responsible if they don't follow these protocols. ECT really is a last resort blunt instrument for people who are very shut down and unable to care for themselves. What dose of Venlafaxine did they try you up to?

OP if you have only tried two antidepressants, and are able to eat and drink and function enough to stay alive, you would probably not be a candidate for ECT yet. They will want to try other meds to augment your antidepressants first.

ECT is a serious process and anaesthetics should not be taken lightly. So it may be bit early for that at this stage.

If you are actively suicidal please call your local crisis team.

I cannot live with depression this severe.
They had the chance to help me and they didn't. They are happy to let.people rot or die.
That also applies to certain members of my family too.
Fuck them.
I don't see it as a big deal if people don't want to live in this disgusting world.

I understand. You must want to feel better if you're searching for ECT. You might need to revisit medication though. The right one or the right combination can certainly help. Can't you get referred to a psychiatrist? Are the NHS not helping?

I've seen a psychiatrist recently and asked for ECT. I also mentioned deleting myself in public in a very extreme manner that I shouldn't detail here. Perhaps they think I'm lying to get ECT. I think I'll see a psychiatrist again soon because they are in regular contact with me and they are certainly aware of my situation. I'm on high.doses of antidepressants but these are "only" keeping me alive they're not making any difference to my severe suicidal depression and extreme suffering.
I joined a 24 hour gym and there is a mental health walk in centre nearby but I've not been for months. The gym only had a very limited effect on my severe depression unfortunately.

I'm sorry, I know it's so tough. I think some depression can be just a case of trying to manage it rather than cure it. I don't think they like to take a lot of notice of suicidal ideation, probably because they're used to hearing it from people. They're not supposed to show much reaction either.

Haven't they offered you any change in medication or therapy?

I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling OP. Have you spoken to your doctor about TMS? That might be something that they are more willing to explore as it doesn’t require anaesthesia. I appreciate it’s incredibly disheartening that they are reluctant to explore an option you think might be helpful but as I said earlier it’s not necessarily a long term fix, and it’s very very much the treatment of last resort.

It sounds as if your depression is at least somewhat responsive to medication and exercise, and your writing here is coherent. If you’re in a place where you’re well enough to express your desire for ECT to be frank you’re unlikely to meet the criteria. My mum “qualified” for treatment because she was entirely detached from reality and they felt it was placing so much strain on her body that she was at immediate risk. She eventually went onto a maintenance regimen that kept her on this side of psychosis but I wouldn’t categorise her as “well.” She was functioning, able to hold a conversation and was recognisable as herself, which she wasn’t when she was at her worst. But level of intervention - twice weekly treatment - to get her to the peak she was at post her first round of ECT wasn’t viable long term.

ECT isn’t going to cure you. It might give some short term relief but in the long term working with your team to find the right combination of meds, therapy and lifestyle changes is likely to give you a better quality of life.

I tried Flow Neuroscience which you may have heard of, it didn't help me at all. Quite the contrary.
Dunno if it's similar to TMS.
I think there is a placebo effect with ECT.
I'm in a terrible rut I cannot escape and death just seems to be the logical answer to everything. I'm 58 and I just think the world's absolutely horrible and obviously radically different from my younger days and considerably harder to deal with. As it stands I'm just facing a future of more isolation and depression and it's just evil that so many have to live like this.

Yeah, I tried Flow and it wasn't any help and was damned expensive as well. I think the nhs can offer something similar but stronger. It might depend on where you live though as nhs services vary. My area is hopeless and you're just left to it unless you're completely psychotic and a danger to others or causing the police a problem.

Can you try to detach from what's going on in the outside world by not following the news, social media etc.? I know things look very bleak and I share your sense of horror. Again, there's no easy answer other than to try and realise that bad news sells and your algorithms are designed to deliver frightening content because it keeps you hooked.

Do you have any support from family or friends? Even if the gym was just helping a little bit can you try to do that again? It's hard work keeping depression at a manageable level. Micro improvements can add up and help a bit.

I just find it sickening that people like me are left to rot. I'd sooner be euthanised.
They've confiscated rope from my house and they know I've considered deleting myself in public using a very extreme method I won't mention.
If this is how they treat people it's shameful. And there is going to be lots and lots more suffering of this type

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/29/two-thirds-uk-teenagers-mental-health-problem-2030/