Here I will share some alternative treatments that have been seen as extreme- or seen with stigma because of the history of the treatments. I feel that exploring some of these options is important for people to be aware of. I share my experience with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), with hesitance, as I did not have a positive reaction to it. I feel that sharing the bad or darker side of the mental illness is as important as sharing the healing I have had. However, there are many people who have had great success with ECT. I do not recommend it.
Electroconvulsive therapy
I was taking several medications for psychosis, depression, anxiety, and mood. Nothing seemed to be helping. I tried what I thought was everything out there when my doctor suggested ECT. The depression was so deep and intense that I could not function. Death was the only logical escape I could think of in order to stop the suffering. My quality of life was very poor to say the least. I could not sleep and eating wasn’t something that was enjoyable. I couldn’t keep my head above water. I was at rock bottom and hopeless. The doctors thought that this treatment would benefit me greatly. I was open to anything so I committed to the program.
Overview
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions.
ECT often works when other treatments are unsuccessful and when the full course of treatment is completed, but it may not work for everyone. I had mixed results. The lasting negative side effects I have experienced from the treatments have outweighed the benefits. My memory loss and headaches are the two things that I wish I could live without.
Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects.
ECT is much safer today. Although ECT may still cause some side effects, it now uses electric currents given in a controlled setting to achieve the most benefit with the fewest possible risks.
Why it’s done
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions. ECT is used to treat:
Severe depression, particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to eat.
Treatment-resistant depression, a severe depression that doesn’t improve with medications or other treatments.
Severe mania, a state of intense euphoria, agitation or hyperactivity that occurs as part of bipolar disorder. Other signs of mania include impaired decision-making, impulsive or risky behavior, substance abuse, and psychosis. During one bout with mania, I bought a brand-new motorcycle off the showroom floor. I took it home and set it up in the living room where I disassembled it, rewired, and added a ridiculous amount of chrome! I didn’t have the expertise (or the funds) but I figured it out over the next month – without much sleep! I recommend having someone help with your finances if you find yourself in a manic episode!
Catatonia, characterized by lack of movement, fast or strange movements, lack of speech, and other symptoms. It’s associated with schizophrenia and certain other psychiatric disorders. In some cases, catatonia is caused by a medical illness.
Agitation and aggression in people with dementia, which can be difficult to treat and negatively affect quality of life.
Risks
Although ECT is generally safe, risks and side effects may include:
Immediately after treatment, I experienced confusion, which usually lasts from a few minutes to several hours. I remember not knowing where I was or why I was there. The confusion lasted for several days after treatment.
Memory loss. Some people have trouble remembering events that occurred right before treatment or in the weeks or months before treatment or, rarely, from previous years. This is the type of memory loss I have had. This condition is called retrograde amnesia. You may also have trouble recalling events that occurred during the weeks of your treatment. For most people, these memory problems usually improve within a couple of months after treatment ends. But for me it has been an ongoing issue.
Physical side effects. On the days of an ECT treatment, some people experience nausea, headache, jaw pain or muscle ache. These generally can be treated with medications. Headaches are the side effect that I suffer from the most. I have never had such exquisite pain as these headaches have given me. To this day I suffer from headaches. Granted that some of them are tension headaches, but they get really severe causing me to miss out on family time and things that I enjoy. The other side effect was throwing up violently. For a couple of days following treatment I would vomit uncontrollably causing fatigue and loss of weight.
Medical complications. As with any type of medical procedure, especially one that involves anesthesia, there are risks of medical complications. During ECT, heart rate and blood pressure increase, and in rare cases, that can lead to serious heart problems. Come back to read the second part of my experience with ECT.
