Is shock therapy my next step?

[OverLoaded]

After over one and a half years now people are asking me should I try this?
They sound like no medicine will help me or are they testing me. I'm angry that I've lost my life for so long I am not sure if it will help or make it worse. Things have gotten to the point I'm hardly coping. Tossing me in hospital over and over or threatening me with it.
Councilor isn't helping much and it's like I'm doing all the work they don't seem to fix this and when they ask what I want it's to be me again. I want to feel again.

 

[desiderata310]

There are tons of different modes of therapy. There's no one right fit for everyone. Not everyone can go the medication route. There's EMDR, DBT, ACT... and a bunch of other letters and ways of working through this other than meds and talk therapy. There's even TMS which is more for depression but could be somewhat useful as well.Also if your therapist isn't a good match, you're not going to make much headway.
So, no, I wouldn't think that ECT is the only alternative left to you.

 

[kilted]

Shock treatment isn't the only solution. There are many options, and I'm not surprised just talking to a counsellor hasn't worked.

PTSD is a deep brain thing..... talk therapy relies on language and cognition, which operates on only a small part of the brain. PTSD and particularly C-PTSD need solutions that develop other parts of the brain, particularly those associated with fight/flight/freeze and "self". This development takes time and energy.... so yes, you do have to do the work.... what you're trying to promote is something called neuroplasticity... a natural brain function. I don't think this is the outcome of shock treatment..... like meds, the effects of shock treatment wear off.

This work is all about trust, trusting others, trusting yourself, and being able to trust your sense of your environment.... there are many ways to do this. If trust is a very deep issue then pet/equine therapy is good, from there building to doing things like yoga, contact improv, drama, mindfulness. Having a good therapist who knows that talk therapy alone isn't working and supports clients to go out and try alternatives is important. Unfortunately this kind of stuff isn't supported by the NHS in the UK and I doubt it's covered by insurance in the US, but some of it is cheap enough to do on one's own.

 

[joeylittle]

After over one and a half years now people are asking me should I try this?

Are you severely depressed, severely manic, or do you experience difficulty separating reality from hallucination?

 

[OverLoaded]

Very depressed no pleasure and borderline personality ptsd insomnia disassociating. I was manic then it was this.

 

[OverLoaded]

Thanks
I feel I am being pushed to do ect cuz the support I have here is not good. It takes months and lots of money to see a proper dr and when they say I don't have sleeping problems then why can I only sleep after an antipsychotic.

 

[joeylittle]

ECT is an option for severe depression; also psychosis and/or schizophrenia, and some types of bi-polar.

For some people it's a lifesaver. If you are telling them that your symptoms are unbearable, it is a very reasonable option for them to suggest. But, what have you done to seriously address your BPD diagnosis? I'd suggest pursuing inpatient treatment for that, ideally somewhere they can also try some different med combinations.

 

[shimmerz]

I am not sure what part of Canada you are in, but here in Ontario, getting any type of mental health care is a disaster. Trauma centres closed down, huge wait lists of 2 - 5 years for one of the few decent trauma centres, which is Women's College Hospital. Otherwise, you pay your 160. for 40 minutes with a specialist who is not covered under the provinces health care programs.

Maybe you could tell us what province you are in? That may be helpful to try to get you resources. Perhaps a different perspective would be helpful.

It is a confusing, frustrating, infuriating process, this realization that in fact, you are no longer the person you thought you were, but a common issue with PTSD I think. I would search around the site here to see if there may be some further guidance on ECT therapy, what it means to have a BPD and PTSD diagnosis, and knowing how to understand and manage your symptoms in such a way that perhaps you don't need to go with such a drastic form of therapy.

Oh, and BTW, it is REALLY freaking difficult NOT to be depressed while one's life is falling down around them. Some of that depression may be situational as well.

 

[Justmehere]

I have a friend with severe bipolar disorder and depression who did ECT and liked the results. She had other options but she was desperate and tried the shock therapy, and for her, it worked.

In your case, you don't seem very thrilled about the option of ECT. If it's not for you, it's not for you.

It seems like the threat of being hospitalized or being hospitalized is a big part of what is motivating your treatment team to suggest this. What is leading to the hospitalizations?

 

[Blackferrous]

I have ptsd and depression, I tried every combination of meds with no success. In desperation I did 3 treatments of ect and was worse off.

My mind did not race as fast and it was quieter for a few weeks that was a positive. However people had to give me verbal commands over and over before they sunk in and reacted to them. I had none of my own thought and said yes to anything asked for several weeks.

I have lost several years of memories and have a hard time making new ones. I feel more damaged then before.

I would suggest that you go to forums on ect and speak with people who have had it.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I have BPD, PTSD, and GAD. I would recommend DBT, especially if you dont have a therapist but even if you do. There are classes you can go to for more of it but i couldn't do that due to my fear of people so I bought the workbook off Amazon and worked through it on my own and my god the difference!

Also, EMDR is the most well known and most successful, i believe, therapy for PTSD. I need talk therapy as well. But many things are out there. I hear ACT is really good too. Then you have CBT. Just many things.

 

[anonymous]

I'm not going to say it saved my life. It did swing me out of the worst depression I ever had. However, I'd been seeking treatment for many, many years by that point; not a year and a half. Keep looking first.