Hi,

 I had 12 rounds of ECT two years ago, and my memory from those days onwards has been horrendous.  I was just wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experiences with the treatment.

[Mod note: we've pinned this thread to the top of the Treatments section, as we have regular inquiries from members about ECT. Other threads detailing members' experiences with ECT are linked to below:

Tired of being depressed now - looking at ECT?

ECT - my experience

My wife has just had ECT - what is the recovery time?

Updated: impending ECT treatment

Hi there kitkatsoppy

Firstly welcome to Beyond Blue and thank you for providing your post.  Secondly I can't agree with you on your name - I have a little bit of a love affair with kit kats - so I can't say that they're soppy - my version would be rather:  kitkatdelicious  :)

Anyway, that's enough of my rambling - sorry about that.

That sure doesn't sound a very good experience for you with this kind of treatment.  I'm not quite sure whether any of the regular posters here have undergone ect treatment - however, only a month or so ago, we had a poster who provided a very positive experience from her ect treatment.

If I could suggest that up the top of the page, just above the heading of:  "Make A Donation", there is a box with a search facility in there.  I ran a quick check a short while ago, and I think her post was the first one that came up under the search of  ect.

And if not, you'll get quite a listing of previous messages about this topic.

That's not to say that someone reading now, might well come on and chat about it - but hey, some good reading for you in the meantime.

Kind regards

Neil

Hi Kitkatsoppy,

I underwent ECT almost 4 months ago. I had 7 sessions and decided to stop after that because I found the memory loss contributed to my problems. I have about 6 months of memory missing from prior to the treatments. My Psychiatrist at the time said that I should slowly regain that memory, but it still hasn't come back. The saddest part is that I did so many things during that time and every now and then I see evidence of those things and I have to check in with my partner if they really happened.

I see photos of our trip to Europe back in January and it's like I'm looking at another version of me because I have no memory of being there. I also received an ambulance bill a few weeks back and rang my partner to check if I went in an ambulance back in February, only to discover that I'd made an attempt on my life. It hurts not knowing because I have no idea how my partner felt at that time. 

I'm yet to speak to anyone that hasn't had memory loss from ECT, however that's not to say that some people aren't affected. I certainly didn't get any positive results from the treatment but again they wouldn't be offering it if there was no evidence to support the results it can achieve in some people.

Not sure if you're continuing with the treatment or if you have heard about a new treatment called TMS? It's less invasive so if you're toying with treatment options it might be something to raise with your Dr or Psychiatrist.

Best of Luck!!

AGrace

July 11

I underwent 15 rounds of ECT this year, the last one in May. I wish I had not gone through with it, but as an involuntary patient I likely had no choice.  For the first few weeks after the last one I felt almost high then I crashed and became depressed to the point I was hallucinating (never happened before). How I managed to stay out of hospital then I don't know but then I may have been admitted and not remembered.. I have a faint recollection of an ambulance bill I would have sent to my insurance company. If that's real or imagined I don't know. when I was discharged my mum was overseas and my daughter never home so I had to try and take care of things myself.

That wasn't the worst side effect .. the memory loss was (or should I say is because although my memory has improved its still not as good as it should be). I forgot to feed my dog the first few days I was home (the dog now steals food when he never did before). I open my wardrobe and see clothes I don't recall buying, an MP3 player I don't recall buying and countess conversations I don't recall. these are ongoing and it irritates the people around me making me feel completely stupid and angry at myself.

Hi annakonda071,

After I got my ECT treatment, my memory of the four months that I was in the ward then is basically non-existent.  However, my memory has gotten better, but I would say that it is still bad, particularly with names.

I just guess I have to keep going on with all the treatment that I am receiving at the moment.

Hi all again,

 It has been just over 2 years that I got ECT treatment.  My short term memory is just about non-existent (i.e. if I tell someone something I usually have to ask the person if I told them something or not). 

Also, I went to a board games night that is here in my city.  However, my brain function feels so slow that it takes a very long time to learn how to play a new board game. I honestly can't say if it has been the result of being on 6 different medications a day, or if it was because of the ECT treatment, but part of my long term memory is gone, as well as a lot of short term memory. 

Then again, I guess that I am still alive, and theres a lot of people worse off than me.

Hi There,

Have you spoken with your Psychiatrist about your concerns with your memory? It could be either or, the medication or the ECT, but it would benefit them to know, and I'd be interested to get their perspective. My Psychiatrist was completely against the idea that the ECT would have impacted my memory - so eventually I switched Dr's.

AGrace

Hi - I saw my psychiatrist, and they said that nothing else was working - so they did ECT on me.  I found out that it was my family plus the psychs decision to get the ECT done.  i dont remember getting permission to do it - maybe I got talked into it but i dont know.

 My memory is still patchy everywhere..i "guess" im better now. apparently.

Hi K,

Have you thought about getting a second opinion? I've found with Psychiatrists they tend to have one area that they specialise in. For instance the Psych who did the ECT specialised in this, and that's why he was all for me getting it done. I now see a Psychiatrist who is more into talking therapy. I feel so much more comfortable with her, and I've come a long way since being under her care.

If you don't feel comfortable with your current Psych then I would suggest getting a referral to someone else. You can even get your current Psych to refer you on.

It's such a shame about the memory. I've found that with some things if someone tells me about something that's happened that I didn't previously remember then the memory comes back to me, even if just vaguely. There's still a lot missing, but I've come to accept that it may never come back and I'm better off focusing on making new memories rather than what memories I've lost.

AGrace

hi guys,

i am wondering if anybody has had positive experience with ECT. My new psychiatrist has recommended a bout of it over 4-8 weeks or 10-12 hits. I am being torn about it. The reason he wants to do it is because i have had 5 admissions n countless med changes during the past 13 mths. I would really love 2 hear from any1.

thanks,

lee

AGrace said:

Hi K,

Have you thought about getting a second opinion? I've found with Psychiatrists they tend to have one area that they specialise in. For instance the Psych who did the ECT specialised in this, and that's why he was all for me getting it done. I now see a Psychiatrist who is more into talking therapy. I feel so much more comfortable with her, and I've come a long way since being under her care.

If you don't feel comfortable with your current Psych then I would suggest getting a referral to someone else. You can even get your current Psych to refer you on.

It's such a shame about the memory. I've found that with some things if someone tells me about something that's happened that I didn't previously remember then the memory comes back to me, even if just vaguely. There's still a lot missing, but I've come to accept that it may never come back and I'm better off focusing on making new memories rather than what memories I've lost.

AGrace

 

 

Its now getting close to 3 years since I've had the treatment.  I found out that I was so paranoid and so sick that nothing else was working ( or rather keeping me stable).

I have come to accept that the ECT did do some positive stuff, and maybe its why my memory isnt the best.  I think if i remembered everything about my ward visits, that it would just make me sick again wit PTSD or something like that.

at least i am still functioning pretty good - and i am improving all the time :)

what were the positives that came out of your ECT treatments? i have an appt with my psychiatrist on the 18th. the memory loss scares me a bit but some1 on another forum said it took away part of their bad memories. 4 me this would mean the abuse from parental figures. the only truly good memories i have from my childhood was being at sport n spending time with my grandparents esp my pop who was in a sense a father figure. he's the only man i truly trusted n miss him more than any1 including my mum. the other positives were when i was playing sport. if ECT can rid me of the bad memories i'm totally in.

i look forward to your reply,

Lee

Hiya bluesea - im turning 33 this year, and i have had depression etc etc since i was 20 years old.  i found that ECT treatment blanks your brain for alot of months, even years...then again, nothing else was working at the time, so i just had to have the treatment - oh well :(

 you cant rely on one treatment to fix anything...i would describe having ECT as somebody shortening your thinking and resetting it like a power point lol

 anyway, if nothing else is working i guess i would give it a shot. otherwise i would probably still be in the psych ward

hi maeve - i just found the ect program on sbs's website.  i am going to watch it soon.

 i am mostly stable at the moment, but its easy for me to stay going downhill if i am stressed out.

These days, i get stressed sometimes at night time. ..i guess i am going good otherwise.

Hi Gothgirl87,

 Yep yep yep - ECT is still out there in the wards - all it did really was reset my brain - it felt like my brain was a hard drive that got corrupted and wiped clean.

 I watched the documentary on ECT, but I wasn't really suprised by anything on the show.

 I am not going to attempt the deep brain stimulation part either.  ECT has also been around for probably 50 years or so (don't quote me on that).

 You would think that they would have a different treatment that works. oh well. :(

Hi all,Im 58 yrs old,suffered a "nervous breakdown" about 9 yrs ago which left me with MD and Anx.After several attempts of "s",and a few times in Phyc Hosp.i was convinced by Phy Nurses and Drs to try ECT,Meds were'nt doing anything for me.they told me there was no risk of long term memory loss,maybe some immediately surrounding the actual treatment.and it would help me significantly with the depression.

So I tried and ended up having 20+ treatments of ECT.

Result significant memory loss,both surrounding treatment and ongoing daily memory problems in day to day stuff.

How do i know this,if I dont remember stuff?

,cause my partner is always pointing out stuff we have done,which i dont have any memory for or doing,......i get in car go down to shop thinking of the things i need to get,by the time i get there(15 mins),i've forgotten them....things like that,then i dont remember my mothers death or funeral(furtunately mt sister recorded it and have dvd of it).forget how to get to somewhere,that again my partner tells me ive been to many,many times,and have to ask her the directions.

Thats the memory,as for helping with the depression.No help for me,in fact due to the memory loss,made,make me more depressed.

Anyhow,thats my experience,but not for me to say whether you should or shouldnt try it....I have heard some who say its been a life saviour,other as with me not so

trev

beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

Hi trev57, thank you for your post and for sharing your journey with us. From what you have you shared with us, it sounds like getting the right help for depression and anxiety has been a rollercoaster for you. We understand that you have been very proactive in getting help to recover and unfortunately ECT has impacted your life dramatically by affecting your day to day memory.

You must feel very alone in this and we feel you would benefit from getting additional support like seeing a psychologist or even thinking about joining a support group for people who have lost there memory such as those run by Alzheimers Australia. Although we understand that you are not suffering from Alzheimers we feel that you have lost your memory and it can be helpful to connect with others who are also find it hard.

The National Dementia Helpline number is 1800 100 500. They also run support groups for carers and it may be helpful to attend some programs with your wife.

Another option is to talk to your psychologist about any groups they can suggest which are for people who have lost their memories due to ECT.

If you are feeling suicidal it is important that you take immediate steps to keep yourself safe. If you are at risk of harming yourself it is important you get help immediately. You can do this by:

-Speaking to your doctor if he or she is available right now
-Calling the Mental Health Team at your nearest hospital

If, however, you feel unable to keep yourself from acting on your thoughts about suicide this is an emergency and you need to call 000 (triple zero).

We encourage you to continue using these forums as a way to connect with others and to share your experiences.

It is important that you take steps to keep yourself safe. We encourage you to call the beyondblue Support Service on 1300 22 4636. We can help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with counselling support, information and referrals. We also have web chat service available from 3pm-midnight 7 days a week, you can access this from our website here.

Please share the name of your new med.

Thank you

I  had six treatments of ECT for an agitated bi-polar depression. I found it WORKED.  The worst part was the general procedure you go through. Very nerve racking. Akin to being executed six times. The worst aspect of it however as far as I'm concerned was the TOTAL LACK of any "debriefing" My memory is ok.

Cheers.

Hi

i had my first ect treatment today. Before having the treatment I found this forum and read through the posts. There really isn't much positive about the treatment here and it scared me. My treatment went well, no memory loss and minimal muscle soreness. I did wake up very upset but that passed quickly. Just want to post my experience to add a little more positive news here.