Anyone actually have ECT treatment?
Question:
Thanks!
Answers:
Hi My friend had ECT and it worked great for her, she had short term memory loss but only for a short time after each treatment. If meds are not working the ECT is a very good option. good look there is some links below for you to read through hope you find them helpful
take care
I have worked with several people that have had ECT treatments. It can be highly effective for a period of time after the ECT, but more often than not symptoms will start to return and the person needs to re-start the treatment, it is not a one time process.
The biggest side-effect of ECT treatments is that it can and often impairs memory, fairly extensively. Although, this is not long-term and you will begin to regain your memory, it does seem to last at least a month after ending ECT treatments.
I have actually had ECT treatments - 2 times. I had ECT once for depression and once for severe mania.
I swear by it. When I woke up I had a headache and a stomache, but I did not have memory loss of any kind. The majority of people DO NOT have memory losss. I took a nap and later that day my headache and stomache were gone.
I had 10 sessions for mania and 12 for depression. IN the US you goto the hospital Monday, Wednesday and Friday if you are not inpatient. They put you too sleep, give you a muscle relaxant and usually administer the shock to the right side of your head. The actual process of putting you to sleep takes longer than the ECT shock.
It worked wonders for me. Combined with changes in my meds and therapy, I recovered nicely.
Electro Convulsive Therapy is a very old treatment. It was used long ago before psychotropic medicines primarily to prevent people from commiting suicide or from harming anyone else. A small electrode is placed on each temple. For an instant electricity is applied by a doctor. It is all precalculated so it is just the right amount. You are instantly unconscious and begin to have a seizure. There are enough people to keep you from falling or hitting anything so you won't be injured. In California you must agree to ECT and it has to be approved by certain people or it is against the law. Only certain hospitals are licensed to do it. There are many medicines that have replaced the need for ECT and it is rarely used these days. I've never had it done but I have known people who have. It has worked wonders for people in suicidal depression. ECT sounds really gruesome, but it is not.
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