Has anyone had ECT for atypical MODERATE depression?!

Has anyone had ECT for atypical MODERATE depression?

I've run out of meds - well I havent taken a MAOI yet. I dont want to have to live this way but I dont want to end up with cognitive impairment or severe memory loss. I've read so many horror stories and some success - I don't know what to believe. Can anyone help???

I don't think you will be able to find a psychiatrist who will give you ECT for moderate depression. There are very few docs who do it for anyone anymore, even the very severely depressed.
One person I know says it saved his life. He was catatonic for a long time, and the state hospital would have let him starve to death. The only time he got fed was when his folks visited.
Another person I met said that it worked ok for awhile, then it wore off and you can only get so many shocks, so it was all a waste of time.
The psychiatrist in this area who does ECT said I was a poor candidate, because I have had strange reactions to pills. Also, he felt that he would have to give me too many shocks and the side effects would be too much. This is from a couple years ago, I might not be quoting him exactly right.

A lot of times atypical depression is really bipolar. You may not be old enuf to get mania yet, or maybe you have mixed moods, or soft bipolar. In any case, maybe the mood stabilizers such as lamictal may help? That and lithium have helped my depressions, nothing else ever has. If you were already evaluated carefully for bipolar, ignore all this stuff.

Try getting more exercise and using a light box on overcast days. It does brighten the mood. Also, be sure you took your pills every day, a lot of people forget, and they won't work if you miss more than once a week. Also, you could have liver metabolism issues-almost all depression drugs are metabolized primarily by the CYP4502D6 enyzyme, and if you don't have that enzyme, you have to adjust the dosage MUCH lower. Others have a double genetic copy coding for this enzyme, and need higher doses than normal. About 10% of white people are lacking this enzyme and it is sure to be a common medical test within 10 years. Maybe much sooner. I forget how many have the extra quantities of the enzyme, and I don't know the stats for other races (it's even broken down by ethnicity in some cases)
Hope some of this helped! All the best to you!