Psychiatrist brought up ect

[hermione]

I met with my psychiatrist last night...for one she said i looked not great like health wise because i have been not really eating i am anorexic and not even weight wise but just like i looked not great which wasn't to be mean and i know when i am restricting my skin starts looking like pale and gray so i get it...i am struggling a lot with so much and have been for some time and am suicidal she asked if i had a plan which i do she asked if i was going to act on it i said no because i did not want to be hospitalized and she said she knew i would say no but i am safe right now but the mood shifts. she brought up doing ECT i am supposed to at least think about it because she asked me how i felt about it i said horrified...so thinking about it but i don't know what to think. it seems scary...

 

[anonymous]

Please read up as much as you can about it. I personally could never do it, I just don't trust it. I have eating problems too, although not anorexia. NO, I couldn't do it. I would urge you to try other possible treatments before that.

 

[EveHarrington]

Have you tried a number of different therapies? And they all failed?

 

[hermione]

I have tried many things including CBT and DBT and practically every medication...it was just a suggestion i have been given to think about she said it has helped many people so i don't know. its just something to think about i have time before any decision on it is made i am trying to be open about it. she is the only psychiatrist i have ever liked so i trust her judgement it is just a big decision.

 

[anonymous]

Have you researched all the possible negative effects? Memory loss, for instance?

 

[Sideways]

I've tried a couple of different types of ECT, and I did get some mood benefit from it. The problem for me was the anxiety associated with being unconscious in a room full of people, which proved too much.

My sister had maintenance ECT for a couple of years and it definitely saved her life. She had mood, psychotic and eating disorder features.

On top of that? I have several friends who I've seen benefit hugely from ECT. Once you get past the stigma, it can really really help.

Having said that, the regular anaesthetic does tend to wreak a bit of havoc on short term memory for a lot of people (although this is usually not enough of a reason not to at least try it, given the high level of risk that a lot of ect patients are living with to need treatment in the first place).

More significant and longer term memory issues are associated with more intense forms of ect, which shouldn't be what an experienced experienced ect doctor would start with.

In terms of bad ect outcomes? Like so many therapies, it seems to be heavily associated with the experience and professionalism of the clinic administering the treatment. I've certainly heard nasty stories from people who didn't get full information about the treatment beforehand and weren't provided with good care and support during the treatment process.

It's definitely something to consider. Because for some people? It has brilliant outcomes. But you want to be fully informed and very (very) fussy about where you would get the treatment from, and the kind of support in place for you throughout the process.

 

[Cannottakethis]

I had ect and it changed my life. I was suicidal and nothing was helping. I'd been on anti depressants and mood stabilizers when it happened and I started spiraling fast. After s week in the hospital they offered me ect and I took it because I knew part of me still wanted to live. I had headaches and some short term memory issues, but I wasn't suicidal. And then I started feeling better. It hit a reset button for me that meds couldn't do. It was 15 years ago for me but It's really big where I live now. All the inpatient facilities do it.

 

[Lee2001]

I know ECT sounds very scary. Back in the day it was an entirely different treatment than now. That is where the negative image of it got started. Now days if to go to an experienced doc it reallycan make such a big difference. There is of course side effects. I suppose the question is whether the risk of side effects is worse or the current quality of life you are expreriencing? I agree with everyone to research, and review about this....including the doc and hospital that is offering it. Years ago when I was in nursing school I saw this done and did see true positive effects, along with some memory loss too.

 

[hermione]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am going to really look into it i have read articles and everything and i am trying some new meds first and am going to talk more to my psychiatrist about it next month when i see her and have her talk to my therapist about the possibility something needs to change i know that i can't keep living this way. i saw my therapist and nutritionist today and i lost more weight and told i can' t afford to lose more and my therapist doesn't want to keep doing this with me i didn't mention the ECT to her i was hoping my psychiatrist would talk to her about it i don't know why i am scared to bring it up with her and not complete strangers but it just seems extreme to me i know it can be positive i fear the memory loss and i have a steady job and i need to be on my feet for it but its that or inpatient treatment next if i a. don't get my weight up b. mood doesn't really change then the ect probably i really don't know i think my team needs to talk about it and what is next in terms of things with me and my own decision of course with the proper research i know some hospitals around me that do it but i want to ask my psychiatrist more. i am hoping the meds i try make a little difference ...i just know it can't keep on like how it has been.

 

[joeylittle]

i fear the memory loss and i have a steady job and i need to be on my feet for it but its that or inpatient treatment next if i a. don't get my weight up b. mood doesn't really change then the ect probably i really don't know i think my team needs to talk about it and what is next in terms of things with me and my own decision of course with the proper research i know some hospitals around me that do it but i want to ask my psychiatrist more. i am hoping the meds i try make a little difference ...i just know it can't keep on like how it has been.

Some thoughts, hopefully they will help -

You mentioned that you've tried almost every medication. I'm glad to read that you are going to try something new, and I'd encourage you to think about the meds right now not as something that will provide lift (improved mood), but something that will place a cut-off on the 'bottom' of the depression (less severe). What is hard about this is, it doesn't necessarily make it any easier to do the other work you will need to do, managing your food intake and fighting the anorexia. That is something I'd encourage you to really double-down on the support for, however you can. Start going to a group if you're not, get your treatment team really focused on that issue. Check out nami.org for local resources, they can guide you to any local chapter in the US.

I'm not a psychiatrist so this is worth less than a grain of salt, but if you've not tried the medication Lithium yet, I would ask your doctor about it. Like ECT, it is an older but extremely effective approach. And like ECT, it has some negative side-effects - but it's important that you are going to the meds that I'd call the 'gold-standard' of psychiatric medicine. Also, Lithium is unique in that it's a natural substance put into pill form, not a cocktail cooked up in a lab. Often, people who have medication anxiety, or worries about getting trapped on too many drugs, find Lithium a very good fit.

Before you try ECT, I'd also encourage you to look into TMS. It is not as strong as ECT, but the trade-off is, it's not a procedure requiring anesthetic. Ask your doctor about it, see if you have any conditions that would keep you from receiving it. When the individual is in severe crisis, doctors will tend to go to the methods that are known to be effective on the biggest percentage of the population - and right now, that is still ECT. But TMS was developed in part for people who would benefit from ECT but don't necessarily need that level of intervention immediately.

It sounds like you are really struggling - but you are doing a great job staying involved in considering your options and continuing to fight for a solution to them.

 

[hermione]

Thanks for your advice i really appreciate all the advice i have been given it helps me a lot in this decision making process. I tried Lithium a while ago it made no difference my psychiatrist thought of trying it again maybe its worth a shot she has been researching what might help with my nightmares and PTSD stuff although there is no magical medication for that just something that will help. with my anorexia she took me off one med because it could have cardiac effects and with my anorexia she is just being careful or well she is taking me off it. she thinks i should see my medical doctor and get checked out for things but often I am fine physically well besides weak and tired and muscle pains i have been having and getting more frustrated at work and i love my job. I will ask about TMS i see her in a bit then less then a month i see her September 5th so we will see what happens i think it is not seen as an emergency or need right away just something i am to think over as she said it would be a commitment. i am currently taking vyvanse which i am coming off for the cardiac reason, trazedone for sleep, lamictal, clonopin and she might try remeron which i think i have taken but sometimes i have been on so many meds i don't know what works or doesn't. i said i would try it i am on the least meds i have been on in years and that was part of why i saw a new psychiatrist and i love her so i trust her decisions which is something but i need to figure this out. she just upped my lamictal does she think it will really help no but she is giving it a shot. i know i need to eat more and not lose any more weight or that leads to inpatient treatment. but i think ECT would mean time off work too so inpatient or ECT all big decisions to be made. I plan on just trying some more meds first i hope but i won't rule anything out yet...

 

[2Beachboxer]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am going to really look into it i have read articles and everything...

In Case another example matters ..I too fought a hard battle with treatment resistant depression. Finally my PDoc asked me if I would like to Give ECT a try. He got a 2nd Opinion and it was a go. Miracle ! Didn't even need the full series! 16 plus yrs ago ! No memory loss.
I would do it again in a min. He has retired, I would be sue to check out the Doc. I am in Canada . I've been Depr. Free since.