Angela to continue bilateral ECT...

After meeting with her psychiatrist yesterday, Angela has decided to continue her bilateral electroconvulsive therapy treatments for intractable drug resistant depression and suicidal ideation. 

She told me that she had considered going back to unilateral ECT, which is gentler, but generally less effective. 

However, after consulting with her psychiatrist, she has chosen to solider on with bilateral ECT, which has proven considerably more beneficial in her case, despite developing problems with her memory. 

"The side effects are not permanent, so I will continue with the bilateral treatments," she said of her increasingly "annoying" memory issues. "And I have only three weeks left."

Angela is planning to go back to school in June and her psychiatrist assured her that she should be fine by then. 

Prior to having her fifth bilateral ECT treatment at 7:15 a.m. this morning, she had 12 unilateral ECT treatments. 

Comments

[Natasha]

Hi,

I feel compelled to comment on this.

Not all side-effects of ECT are temporary. Some memory loss is typically _permanent_. Studies have bourn this out and I can certainly personally attest to it. I also found it took months to get back to feeling like myself physically and mentally so planning to return to school in June could be a bit optimistic.

And I only had unilateral ECT. And only 9 treatments.

Please understand, everyone is different, and ECT can be effective, but don't underestimate the risks and side-effects. Honestly, doctors are often not as forthcoming as they need to be. This is a very serious course of treatment and I would be shocked if there aren't long-term effects.

Be well.

(You can read about my ECT experience here: http://throughECT.blogspot.com)

[Sheila]

I sincerely hope that Angela's psychiatrist isn't simply telling her what she wants to hear. Given the number of people who have logged on to comment on this very aspect of their ECT experience, I would tend to believe them. I don't recall reading from anyone who has had ECT claiming to have their memory untouched.

However, because hope is often the only thing we have to hold onto while we travel through the challenges of our lives, I will hold onto the hope for Angela, as I'm sure so many of us do, that her memory will return quickly and that she suffers no long term ill effects from her ECT treatment.

[Jessica]

I have bipolar disorder, further complicated by a neuropsychiatric condition. I am as well medicated for the bipolar disorder as you can be. It has been deemed therapy-refractory, ie. I've tried all meds available on the market but this is as good as its going to get. I still get depressed and manic, although at lesser intervals than before. Prior to my current medication regimen I got 4 depressions per year plus 2 manic or hypomanic episodes. Now I get 2 depressions, and 1 hypomanic episode. If I went into uncontrollable depression then I'd be open to discuss ECT.

Yes, there is an inherent risk for memory loss, short- or long term. I already have cognitive impairment from having lived with significant depressive episodes, the pros vs. cons of ECT would have to be discussed. When all has been tried and all you think about is that you can't stand living, then what do you do?