ECT (Electric Shock Therapy)?!
Question:
ECT (Electric Shock Therapy)?
I am considering ECT for severe depression that is not responding to medication. But I am very hesitant b/c of the loss of memory it causes. My doc. says that the loss of memory is temporary, but others say it's permanent. The research is so contradictory. Can anyone tell me about any personal accounts (yourself or others, not internet research) with ECT and what the results were? Did it help with the depression? Did it cause bad memory loss and was it permanant? Please answer only if you have personal accounts. Thank you so much for your help.
Answers:
Hi......I completely understand your concerns as I had to face this decision in 2004. I did have about 5 ECT treatments done. Usually there are many more treatments done but your Dr. will decide. I did have short term memory loss and chose to stop the treatment with my Dr.'s permission because in my case the memory loss was too much to handle and my depression had improved tremendously in that short period of time. Unfortunately, it did not last long but again that is attributed to the fact that I did not go through the proper amount of rounds that a typical patient goes through. I can say that I have no permanent memory loss but it did take a month or so to get my short term memory back completely. I looked into the research and was very afraid too before having the procedure done but I had to out weigh the pros and cons and there are going to be contradictions as with anything because everyone reacts differently. I have met people who this has helped tremendously and they have no permanent memory loss and then I have met others that it only helped temporarily and they have had to get more rounds done. If you have tried the other alternatives and this is what your Dr. is recommending and you trust your Dr. and your depression is so severe at this point I would listen to what your Dr. tells you. You can always go get a second opinion also if that would make you feel better and help you make your final decision. I hope in whatever your decision is that you feel better soon~