ECT

[myplateisfullenoughthanks]

Does anyone have any experience of ECT please. Either yourself or someone you are close to. Family member suffering badly with bipolar and it seems ECT is the course of treatment being recommended and was interested to hear any experiences.

Yes, someone I am close to has had ECT twice, ten years apart.

For them it is a life changing treatment. The only problem they had was a restricted driving license for a couple of months afterwards and some slight memory problems. Their most recent treatment was a few months ago.

I had it when very serious postnatal depression wouldn’t shift. It was miraculous. Treatments left me with headaches and feelings of confusion/agitation for a few hours afterwards, so after I think three sessions I said “no more”, but the next day I woke up and it was as though curtains had been opened in a dark room.
It gets a very bad press (thanks, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), which I think, based on my experience, is undeserved.

Thanks for posting this and thanks for the responses.
My psychiatrist has recommended ECT for me and I admit I've avoided thinking about it and coming to a decision.
The restricted driving licence worries me. We live in the middle of nowhere.

The driving licence may be an issue in this case but currently the quality of life is at 0 so even that cant actually make it worse I guess.
I am so hoping it is effective.

My friend with Bipolar has this regularly and says it’s the only treatment that works for her.

I'm bipolar and for me, it worked when no other treatment did. Always woke up a bit wobbly, with a headache on the lefthand side of my head, post-anaesthetic, but no other problems.
During ECT my memory is a little fuzzy but I'd been on shedloads of psychiatric medications for about 3 years by that point so that whole era is a bit hit & miss. Post-ECT has been fine.
I hadn't been driving for a while as I'd informed the DVLA of medications, etc & they'd already revoked my licence so the ECT didn't make any difference....
As with all treatments & medication, people react differently but you will be monitored carefully. It's not the era of The Bell Jar anymore.

I think I'm as afraid of the unknowns of ECT as much as I am about not being able to drive.

I don't know anyone who has had it and inevitably, media portrayals of ECT really aren't helping.

I hate not being in control, so much so that when I'm having a major depressive episode, I'm consumed with anger about not being well.

I'm trying to work out if I'm making the driving into a red herring. I can get groceries delivered and my son gets the bus to school. BUT, BUT, the GP, pharmacy, hospital and psychiatrist are all at least 5 miles away. No bus service and a taxi to the nearest town is £20 for a round trip.

On tying myself in knots trying to work out what to do for the best.

The inconvenience of not driving will be worth it for your long term mental health. My friend has had lots of ECT it you would never know if you met her. She feels fine the next day, or even that evening. It has affected her memory a bit, but not too much, and she is back in her professional job.