I've got a friend who has severe depression and medication hasn't worked for her. Her Dr's have suggested ECT and we're after any info/advice anyone can give. She's researched about it, so she knows what it involves, we're more interested in personal experieces. It has changed a lot since the 50's and apparently it's not only effective in many people, it's used quite often. Also known as shock treatment... she's quite unsure about the process as a whole, and frankly I don't blame her. If you're not comfortable posting a reply, feel free to Pm me and I'll pass the info on. Thanks muchly

Edited July 6, 201014 yr by maesie

I've got a friend who has severe depression and medication hasn't worked for her. Her Dr's have suggested ECT and we're after any info/advice anyone can give. She's researched about it, so she knows what it involves, we're more interested in personal experieces. It has changed a lot since the 50's and apparently it's not only effective in many people, it's used quite often. Also known as shock treatment... she's quite unsure about the process as a whole, and frankly I don't blame her. If you're not comfortable posting a reply, feel free to Pm me and I'll pass the info on. Thanks muchly

 

 

hello maesie

in responce to your question

 

i was given ect treatment at age of 21 and in bouts of three proceeders

it was scarry even though i didnt really know what was going to happen as you are not awake yet you are concious

in my case i was treated as i had totally lost reality and gone with in from post traumer

it was done in 6 days one day treatment one day recovery

treatment recovery

so on so on

i found that the down side in my case was i lost my memory for 3 years in fact im still remembering things now 15 years or so latter

like child hood things i liked and disliked stuff like that

i didnt however lose any bad memorys

it was fairly hard as i didnt remember who i was

i remembered family and stuff but took a little while few days

as things jotted my memory

any ways

all in all it did retreve me and i guess thats what it was supost to do

so for me itworked

but i had very high serge 1500 three times over in one sitting each sitting

 

i feel that its the reason im not as interlectual as i was once and as social

as my confidance has drematically dropped as i feel stupid spech when i know awnser in my head or i know what things are but the right words wont come out and sometimes it is hard as i truley dont remember people at all from my younger days and have lost all ability to reconize things unless i see them constently

so i feel their wasmore side afects on my behalf

however thats not to say its the case with everyone

but i dont think ive actually meet anyone whom ithas actually helped

if anything i belive you become more depressed as you lose so much of your self and need to pick up all the missing peacies

im still doing this to this day '

 

their are still things i do not remember

i went to a reunion from primary school i didnt even remember anything of what people was talking about

but i did learn that i was a real rat bag

i remembered two people from whole class

but they were not their so .. nothing to me seemed real and i ended up leaving feeling a tad lost and down that i actually lost that much memorys

thing is though

had i notgone

then i wouldnt have known their was anything to remember

so theirs that to think about also if you get my drift

it would be good if you wanted to forget your passed and start forwards in life

but you dont forget everything but you do forget quiet alot

well i did anyways

i have short term and long term memory loss now as rezult

depends on day how bad my mind is but i also dont have thoughts always flowing through my head like i use to so i realy find myself thinging about things as i feel like my mind does not just drift off and just think anymore does that make sence

your welcome to ask more indepth questions if you like

regarding anything

as i remember bits

like i remember talking weird at first

and feeling kind of like a zombie for few weeks

This is interesting.

Kens Mum had shock treatment many years ago. I cant tell you much about that as she is gone now.

I would however be interested in the changes about the procedure from way back then to how its done now and what they have learnt about all this to be still offering it as a treatment.

What does the research tell us ?

I will ask ken if he has any knowledge about how it affected his mother and what was actually done for her.

Sounds pretty scary

You can't go past GB's actually experience. However as she says the end result from her experience is not necessarily goning to bring the same end result or side effects in another.

 

I have have watched many docos on this treament, usually they are ones highlighting the wide spread use of this treatment in an age when any new technology and/or technique was grabbed with open arms and used extensively. Little research was carried out on effects of this 'shock treament' therapy on patients.

 

Today it is less widely practiced and is seen as a last result to conventional drug treatment. The brain is a marvel of evolution and no two brains are alike. They are the organic super computor and it receives, interprets and sends signals via electrical impluses at extraordinary speeds. ECT interupts these signals but it cannot target specfic ones hence the side effects that people such as GB suffer.

 

For me personally I would not consider it. People with depression need help, no doubt about it. I have suffered with it since childhood, luckily these days with all the reading and doco watching I do I have come to understand it more and have a great doctor to work with.

 

Just a word of warning on drugs prescribed for depression. PROZAC (is a SRI-Seretonin re-uptake inhibitor drug)and its derivitives are often given to combat depression. What most doctors don't tell you and patience very rearely read the leaflet that accompanies the pills, is that these drugs do treat depression but not in all cases. In some cases they make the depression worse and in some cases cause phobic episodes. These Prozac family drugs work by increasing the level of Seretonin in the brain. What they do not do is distinghish between those people who have low Seretonin levels from those who produce too much but cannot metabolise it as quickly as it should be. Thankfully I fall into the former group so these drugs will work on me but I prefer not to take them unless really, really necessary. You can;t just stop taking these drugs either, you must come off them slowly.

 

Maesie, is you friend taking any Prozac family drug? This could be causing more harm than good. You can google Prozac and confirm all what I have said above. You will also find articles on regarding current court cases in the USA to do with prople who are suddenly nice one day and then suddenly go on a killing spree due to phsycotic episodes from the use of these drugs.

 

I am not trying to scare you maesie but rather to inform you and get you looking deeply into this subject of depression. I had a friend who was on a Prozac drug and it was not doing him any good at all. I convinced him to get off the stuff and deal with depression in others ways and he has since been a lot better. Here is a short list of stuff your friend can do.

 

1. Keep only positive people around you. If people are going to negative, try and laugh it off or walk away or ask them to leave as this is not what you want right now.

 

2. Support from friends and family at any time day and night.

 

3. Outings to favourite places.

 

4. If you love music (one of my personal favourites) put it on. Fill you day with it, Crank it up if you want. Find mediative music, for me it is stuff like Enigma, Sirroco, Enya, Film scores like Gladiator, darken the room, put mattress on the floor, take the phone off the hook, put the music on a chill out. You can go to therapist that deal with meditaive techniques. Ever laid on the lawn at night and just watched the universe go by?

 

5. If you love animals, hang with them as much as possible. Horses got me through a great deal as a child as my home life was pretty ****. They listen with 100% attention, don't judge you and love you unconditionally.

 

6. Diet. Believe it or not. No junk food or limit to say once a month as treat. A balanced diet is good for the body. Go back to basics. Grow you own veggies if you have room but if you are a bad gardener don't attempt this as dead plants will be seen as failure and therefore negative and will work against you. Keep the processes foods to an absolute minimum.

 

7. Lighting has an effect on people. These days we get way too much than we should putting our circadian rythem out of whack. There are many forms of lighting out there, maybe change some globes in the house, if possible. Reduce exposure. I turn off lights at night when watching TV as the reduced amount of light allows production of the chemical melatonin which will make you drowsy and help you fall asleep. Sleep is important, but not too much or too little, the average required by most people is around 7 hours per night.

 

I hope I havn't dribbled on too much maesie. I hope you friend finds the help he/she requires. Last word of advice. Don't be afraid to change doctors.

Thanks all very much. I'll be sure to forward all this info on. I'll have a chat to her about it and get back to you all. Thanks again

You can't go past GB's actually experience. However as she says the end result from her experience is not necessarily goning to bring the same end result or side effects in another.

 

I have have watched many docos on this treament, usually they are ones highlighting the wide spread use of this treatment in an age when any new technology and/or technique was grabbed with open arms and used extensively. Little research was carried out on effects of this 'shock treament' therapy on patients.

 

Today it is less widely practiced and is seen as a last result to conventional drug treatment. The brain is a marvel of evolution and no two brains are alike. They are the organic super computor and it receives, interprets and sends signals via electrical impluses at extraordinary speeds. ECT interupts these signals but it cannot target specfic ones hence the side effects that people such as GB suffer.

 

For me personally I would not consider it. People with depression need help, no doubt about it. I have suffered with it since childhood, luckily these days with all the reading and doco watching I do I have come to understand it more and have a great doctor to work with.

 

Just a word of warning on drugs prescribed for depression. PROZAC (is a SRI-Seretonin re-uptake inhibitor drug)and its derivitives are often given to combat depression. What most doctors don't tell you and patience very rearely read the leaflet that accompanies the pills, is that these drugs do treat depression but not in all cases. In some cases they make the depression worse and in some cases cause phobic episodes. These Prozac family drugs work by increasing the level of Seretonin in the brain. What they do not do is distinghish between those people who have low Seretonin levels from those who produce too much but cannot metabolise it as quickly as it should be. Thankfully I fall into the former group so these drugs will work on me but I prefer not to take them unless really, really necessary. You can;t just stop taking these drugs either, you must come off them slowly.

 

Maesie, is you friend taking any Prozac family drug? This could be causing more harm than good. You can google Prozac and confirm all what I have said above. You will also find articles on regarding current court cases in the USA to do with prople who are suddenly nice one day and then suddenly go on a killing spree due to phsycotic episodes from the use of these drugs.

 

I am not trying to scare you maesie but rather to inform you and get you looking deeply into this subject of depression. I had a friend who was on a Prozac drug and it was not doing him any good at all. I convinced him to get off the stuff and deal with depression in others ways and he has since been a lot better. Here is a short list of stuff your friend can do.

 

1. Keep only positive people around you. If people are going to negative, try and laugh it off or walk away or ask them to leave as this is not what you want right now.

 

2. Support from friends and family at any time day and night.

 

3. Outings to favourite places.

 

4. If you love music (one of my personal favourites) put it on. Fill you day with it, Crank it up if you want. Find mediative music, for me it is stuff like Enigma, Sirroco, Enya, Film scores like Gladiator, darken the room, put mattress on the floor, take the phone off the hook, put the music on a chill out. You can go to therapist that deal with meditaive techniques. Ever laid on the lawn at night and just watched the universe go by?

 

5. If you love animals, hang with them as much as possible. Horses got me through a great deal as a child as my home life was pretty ****. They listen with 100% attention, don't judge you and love you unconditionally.

 

6. Diet. Believe it or not. No junk food or limit to say once a month as treat. A balanced diet is good for the body. Go back to basics. Grow you own veggies if you have room but if you are a bad gardener don't attempt this as dead plants will be seen as failure and therefore negative and will work against you. Keep the processes foods to an absolute minimum.

 

7. Lighting has an effect on people. These days we get way too much than we should putting our circadian rythem out of whack. There are many forms of lighting out there, maybe change some globes in the house, if possible. Reduce exposure. I turn off lights at night when watching TV as the reduced amount of light allows production of the chemical melatonin which will make you drowsy and help you fall asleep. Sleep is important, but not too much or too little, the average required by most people is around 7 hours per night.

 

I hope I havn't dribbled on too much maesie. I hope you friend finds the help he/she requires. Last word of advice. Don't be afraid to change doctors.

this is so true

rip

i have been through *** n back due to being wrongly medicated and dignossed

its taken from 21 my first hospilization to 28 when i just told everyone to **** off no morre (this was after my accident where i was almost taken fromm my family and this world

and all that was said about it was i tryed to kill myself

THIS WAS NOT TRUE

not onlywas i very happy at time happiest id been but i was pregnate so why would i try top myself

however with all the phic recolds i hold due to wrongly medicated triles to as they put it make me normal

i actually reacted wrongly to these ending me up having out bursts of phycotic behaiviour

its a fact that if your leave;ls in you brain are unbalanced even slightly it can cause many diffrent reactions giving your make up

with me i was lacking lithium so they belived increassing it was the awnser

it was however not as this put me so off balance i became supper strong and agressive to point i was lockd in icolation for almost one month and sedated till they found another drug to test on me

but that drug turnd me into a zombie

eppalum it was called

the whole ordeal was very frightening and depressing

as im natrully diffrent and no amout of drugs is or ever will change that

im very sencitive person in many ways

and very open to things otherswould be frightened of

this was causeing a inballance in my personality as i hd no clue how to controle or deal with it '

 

their isno one to teach that

however

i went to a place in hawthorn called the something heart and its a place where they take blood test and leval of cemicals in brain all that they found that i was eatting to much food with zink in it which was draining all my lithium levals and imbalancing my mind

they set me out a diet and ive been fine since no meds unless i start to neglet myself im ballanced

i as you said only surround myself with positive people

and as mostmyfriends were not or unstable due to their own mental health i found i needed to leave all my friendships behind

in doing this i took time from the world and consentrated on my family

i decided to take my life back i lost weaight

i was size 28 im now 12 to 14 i very month to month

but im very happy with this im more on the 12 but do have times i become unmodivated andtad lost

these are the times i do as rip said and do somthing for me

weather its go camping out under stars or just makeshapes in the coloude (yes i still do that )

i spend time with animals all around me

my ducks my birds and my dog

i dont like to go out much as i said i feel a tad less inteligent now days so i make myself leave house twice a forgnight if not twice a week to insure im out and about even if i really dont want to

as i have no real friends only my own fault mind you as i cant asociate anymore with all the people that whine about stupid stuff like probblems instead of working out how to solve them they just whine

does my head in

so i just go have a coffee myself

and go window shopping with out money

then i walk home

i make sure i walk down or back

i do take a taxi the opossed to weather i walked their or back

so im walking weekly also its 40min walk to street

so i sugessed you do get her to look into things as if your on a drug for something and your not that something it turns you to be like it as it imbalancess everything

took me 9 years to fight for my wrights never did i win as when t became upset and voicd my opinion i was to them agressive and oh thats part of the phycociss so

it really is a hard call

if you can manage it yourself with fam friends and most of all your want to be happy and care free

then you can do it it just takes time to work out what triggrs you off and then removing the triggers from your world

 

tell her good luck with it all

I have worked in a mental health unit at the hospital (and will be working there now and after I graduate). From what i've seen, those who are treatment resistant and are deemed suitable candidates for ECT have had very good effects. Not everyone reacts the same or gets the same results, but that is the same with everything in life - food, stress, medication. We all react differently. Even the memory loss that comes with ECT varies from person to person but is generally not significant from what i've seen. They are very spacey for the first few days afterwards, but as I said - from what little i've seen, its had surprisingly good results.

 

Whether they need repeat treatments later is often determined by what supports they have in their life as RIP mentioned - a healthy lifestyle with good friends, diet, nutrition, education and entertainment/hobbies is immeasurably good in supporting the general wellbeing of a person - not to mention their physical and mental health. Addiction to alcohol or illicit substances, smoking or poor diet, lack of exercise (and even sunlight) are all going to drag you down no matter what illness you are dealing with.

Thanks again GB and Dean. It's really helpful to get different sides of the discussion. I've spoken to her today and she's really greatful for any info. Medication wise, she's tried almost everything, as well as no meds. Her Psych, Dr and Therapist are all in agreement that if the latest combination of drugs doesn't work, that ECT would be worth trying. Her family have also been supportive although they don't know much about it. I really hope she finds some relief soon. Thanks again guys xoxo