Electric Shock Therapy

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Electric Shock Therapy
5
Mon, 05-31-2004 - 5:14pm
Hi,

My sister is severely depressed, and does not handle the side effects of the medicine well so the doctor wants to perform electric shock therapy. Has anyone had this and did it work? I have heard that some memory loss might occor after the treatment, does anyone know if it is true.

Any advice would be appriated.

Thanks

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 06-01-2004 - 8:48am
Hi, I have had ECT. The memory loss was very slight. After the first time when I was scared to death, it really wasn't bad at all. They give you an anesthetic, they do the procedure and the next thing you know you are back in the recovery room and the nurse is asking how you feel. The first time I had it done I woke up with an incredible headache---but the other times I didn't even have that. I started out as an inpatient, but then did the rest of the treatments as an outpatient. Hope this helps. If you have anymore, questions, I will try to answer them. Debbie
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-26-2004
Tue, 06-01-2004 - 3:40pm

Welcome to our board, Lnovotny!

AcornLeaves
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-24-2004
Tue, 06-01-2004 - 9:32pm
I don't know much about electric shock therapy, but I think that there has been good results from light therapy, where they expose you to a controlled dosage of UV rays, and it is supposed to make you feel better. I think that memory loss could occur from the electric shock therapy, but maybe you could try to get your sister to try light therapy first?

Good luck and take care! :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2004
Wed, 06-02-2004 - 5:09pm
I know of 5 people off the top of my head who had ECT and they all said they felt better for a couple months but had some really irritating memory loss that has not come back years later. I'm not trying to scare you but I know I would not have this done unless NOTHING else worked anymore. Now the latest person I heard who had it done did it 3 years ago so there might have been changes since. Good luck to you and your sister! Judi
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-14-2011

By Sylvia Kronstadt

What I remember most clearly is that while they were tying me down and tightening a rubber strap around my head, I smelled something that I immediately sensed was the aroma of a plane crash (although I have never been anywhere one): death, flaming petroleum and superheated metal. The small room resounded with an angry and unsettling hiss, which I assume was from an open valve on some sort of pressurized gas -- probably oxygen. I said, "Please don't give me the paralysis drug until I'm sleeping."