Hi
@RockinRoddy
I had 15 sessions of ECT maybe 10 years ago. I have treatment-resistant depression, so I was willing to try it. I hear different people have different outcomes with it. For me, it was planned for me, coming from another facility by ambulance. The hospital I was admitted to had staff that I saw on a daily basis, just like in any other mental health facility where they would give you your meds, take your blood pressure several times a day, have group therapy, have arts & crafts, other fun activities, have a daily session with your psychiatrist, etc. The only thing different about this setting was that they also performed ECT treatments on some of the patients. The treatments were administered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so I was in the hospital for about five weeks. They turn off the water faucet in your room for those days, because you're not allowed to drink or eat because you'll be under general anesthesia. When it's your turn for treatment, they put you on a gurney and wheel you off to where the procedure is actually performed. There were about four people in this really tiny room (it was kind of funny looking at all of them in there). They give you a general anesthetic because you do convulse. You don't feel anything because you are under general anesthesia. I think the actual procedure takes around five minutes or so. They then wheel you on a gurney to a rather large recovery room (I was the only one in there) where you recover for about an hour. You feel no pain whatsoever, before, during (okay, maybe an IV needle prick if I remember correctly), or after the procedure. You don't remember anything about the procedure when you wake up in the recovery room and you wonder where you are when you do wake up. They then wheel you up to the regular patient ward. This pattern repeats for all of the patients who are getting ECT treatments. Not every patient gets ECT treatments, if I remember correctly. There are two types of placing the two electrodes on your forehead: unilateral and bilateral. In unilateral, one electrode is placed on the top of your head and the other electrode is placed on your forehead. In bilateral, the two electrodes are placed on opposite sides of your forehead. I don't know how they determine this, but I was given four unilateral treatments and eleven bilateral treatments. I kind of enjoyed being under general anesthesia, because I didn't have to worry about anything during this brief moment of time. Now for the $64,000 question: did I have any side effects from it and did it help me. As far as the side effects are concerned, it's pretty common to have some sort of memory loss (I'm not exactly sure of the statistic). The memory loss can be in the time period right after the procedure was performed or it can be further back in time. I did experience some memory loss (it's hard for me to say exactly how much, because you don't know what you don't know). My memory loss did go back all the way until I was a small child, but I think it was a small memory loss. Who knows. Now did it help me? I'd have to say no, and I wouldn't get it again. I've read that if the treatments didn't help you, that they won't help you again if you do try it for a second time. But everyone's experience with it can vary, so it's your decision call. Let me know what else you want to know. You can tell from my lengthy reply, that I'm into all aspects of this treatment.