Treatment resistant depression and ECT. Is ECT the best option?

Question

I backed out of the ECT treatments last week. I already know the risk and the benefits of ECT. I was scheduled for the treatment and I got scared. I've been on so many medications and years of therapy and now I'm faced with ECT. My question is about alternatives to ECT. I know that ECT is a long commitment. 3 to 6 months of treatments and once a month after that to keep the depression in check. I've heard good results and I heard bad results. Why is the treatments so long? Even with good results, the success rates are still low (but higher than medications). The down side is memory side effects.

Answer 1

my exhusband had ect. his memory was affected it seems. i think in life sometimes we do have to make hard choices. sometimes it is the choice of the greater good - in other words, choosing the better choice of which you would never normally choose.
i must say though i would research it as thoroughly as possible.
i am one to try everything before giving into medical treatment. i.e. natural foods, emdr, eft, exercise, eckert tolle. these are things i have used as well as reading the Jewish handbook of the Jewish soul: called The Tanya.
good luck,

Answer 2

In my humble opinion ECT is never an option. If you have treatment resistant depression it just means that your therapist is no damn good. ECT is just a way of hitting something you do not understand with a big club and hope for the best.

Depression is a God given emotion; one of 6-8 you are born with and if it becomes a clinical problem it just means that your habits of negative thinking and perceptions have become unmanageable.

Medications do help but are not a silver bullet. To get rid of deep seated depression requires a will to change beliefs and habits of thinking and behavior which may require a very good psychologist or psychiatrist to guide you. I say guide you because to get out of the rut of negativity requires your will power to change. It is not easy because it took years of a negative environment and negative habits of behavior and thinking to get you where you are.

I would like to reccomend a non-profit organization that has been around since 1937 and still succesfully treats mental problems like yours. It is Recovery Incorporated. More info about this organization and the location of groups near you may be obtained at:

www.recovery-inc.org or by writing to; Recovery Inc., 802 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago Illinois, 60610, (312)-337-5661

A book describing its philosophy and methods of treatment is:

Abraham A. Low, MD;"Mental Health through Will Training"; Willet Pub. Co., Glencoe Illinois, 60022, 1997

It may be obtained from the website or mailing address given above or from Amazon.com.

Good luck, good mental health, peace and love!

Answer 3

Randy, unless you are suicidal, I don't think I would jump into ECT.

My problem is they don't know why it works. And it only works for awhile.

I am also not a big fan of meds. The effects don't last long and they mess up your brain. I am OK with anti-anxiety meds for emergencies, but that's it.

First I think you should read Feeling Good by Dr Burns. Then I would look into a Cognative behavioral therapist. I have had good results with it.

I don't agree with the chemical impalance theory of depression. Every single person I know with depression has REAL problems that have to be fixed. I don't think being upset because you have a problem means you are mentally ill. You need to deal with the problem.

Depression is just a symptom.

Best wishes for you

Joe

Answer 4

Have you tried all the treatments, supplements, and herbal remedies, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris ,yet? Also see the CCHR website, in the intro.

Answer 5

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/electroconvulsive-therapy/MH00022