Julie,
Help me, I am so scared. It is that time again…very depressed, on medication, still feeling sick…think I need to go for ECT treatment. I am so scared of the memory loss…it is so horrible if you cannot even remember where you live…!
Please pray for me….
Lauretha
Hello Lauretha,
I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I had a little run in with lithium that took me out for a few weeks.
I had ECT in 2010 and have zero regrets. It works for the majority of people who get it. The success numbers are very high. The memory loss can be severe. I would rather have memory loss than kill myself. I believe in ECT as long as a person has FULLY researched what it means. It’s also essential that all family, friends and health care professionals are there to offer support. I didn’t remember where I lived a few times. I had to call my brother to tell me where I was. It was bad – but it has faded. The memory loss is just part of the treatment. If you can’t get better on your own through lifestyle changes and meds, ECT is realistic.
Do what it takes to get rid of the depression. It’s a terrible thing to be depressed and if you know of something that works- I say it may be a good option.
Julie
I am also considering ECT. I have had three siblings that went thru it in the ’70’s. My mental health care giver suggested it, and it has been suggested to me a few years ago by a different mental health care adviser. I have been trying med’s…fluoxetine, carbamezapine, and ziprazidone. There are also other meds., like lithium but it did not work for me, and also a few others he tried with me. I will say I have a fantastic psychiatrist who is open with me and works along wonderfully with us as a couple. The meds I’m on now have helped me slow down by a long ways and even taught me to think differently as in slower…very good results there. But the depression has come back to haunt me for one and a half months straight and just about drove my poor hubby insane, my daughter too. Now I’m on day five of feeling good, mostly, and I wonder what the matter is with THEM…I love this site and Julie has and is helping me to learn to deal with different issues as well living with bp. what do you think about me trying ECT? The memory loss does not scare me as much as the mania and depression. For me depression has brought too much memory loss…or is it still from my breakdown a year ago? Donna