electro shock therapy

[DOB]

I feel worst I ever felt my whole life,one women I care about greatly recently recieved 6x electro shock therapy sessions.She is kind of borderline schizophrenic,she was of the meds for 9 month,working,she only occasionaly heard voices but it was ok.About month back she was working overtime and it triggered psychosis in her.... previosly only when she used meth or lsd it triggered such a psychosis so this was unexpected.

She was held in psychiatric centre again but this time they forced her to for ECT I am devastated,never have I felt so bad in my life,her mind is literaly the most beautiful precious thing I ever came across in my life and the idea of permanent brain damage,memory loss,and all the changes in personality are nightmare to me.It seems like loosing greatest source of joy in my life


do any of you have some experience with ECT? did you recieve or know someone who recieved it?

 

[SixBuckets]

ECT isn't the horror story it used to be in the 60s. It's actually a reasonably effective way of treating treatment resistant depression and psychosis. I don't support administering it to people involuntarily, but I can see why it's used in people who are unlikely to stick to a medication regime.

The memory loss is temporary in most people and it rarely causes brain damage. I've only known a few people who've done it and none of them have had personality changes (outside of that that's come from reduction in symptoms) but I don't know how common that is generally.

Your friend will probably be fine. Try not to freak out too much until you see how she actually responds to the treatment.

 

[thelung]

Its not as bad as you might think. i know some people who have done it because medication just didn't work for them

 

[CfZrx]

My friend did it at age 16 and 15 years later he killed his dad, hid in the dark living room and surprised stabbed a 10 inch blade in his heart. Other than that ect seemed to be no big deal.

 

[willy33]

As SixBuckets said ECT isn't the barbaric, pointless, pseudo-torture as depicted in One Flew Over the Cuckoo' s Nest and Requiem for a Dream. You have to assume /have faith that the doctors are administering this treatment because they consider it to be in the best interest of your mate.

I loathe the 12-step program but one of their recurring themes is utilizing the serenity prayer. Maybe you could use it in this situation.

Peace

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I know people who did receive it but this was in the early 70s and to be honest I'm not sure if it changed them as they have mental issues and were pretty different to begin with, or if it helped? Or if it did make their memory bad or worse than it already was?

 

[Moreaux]

At one point I wanted to get it but my husband was completely against the idea. The procedure has come along way, and this may be a good thing for your friend. Try not to ruminate over this as the outcome may be very positive. As willy33 said, this is out of your control, you've got to make peace with that. Try to remain positive. Hoping the best for your friend!

 

[Moreaux]

One last thing, more of a favour - please update this thread with how your friends is doing, and if the treatment did anything for her, either positive or negative.

 

[SKL]

ECT can be a godsend in medication resistant patients. The rate of complications, other than headache and transient memory loss, is extremely low. It is even considered safe during pregnancy, believe it or not, off topic but should underscore the safety. Long term memory loss is a possiblity but a relatively remote and overstated one. I have many, many times seen this procedure save lives either literally in the suicidal patient or in the more figurative sense in terms of quality of life. It actually upsets me to see outdated myths about it being some sort of medicalized torture or modern lobotomy being discussed. In the patient who does not respond to medication or serious psychosis, it is incredibly effective. The demonization of ECT is largely due to certain popular media things, most significantly being One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest but the procedure has evolved A LOT since then. It is done under anaesthesia, is completely painless except for a not-inconsiderable portion of patients get a headache afterwards which usually respondss just fine from Motrin. I would and have recommended it in more cases than I can easily remember or count.