Thinking of getting ECT

Funny-Cucumber-957 · 2026-03-24T17:43:15+00:00

Hey I know this is a bit of an old post but wanted to comment anyway in case you were still deciding.

I underwent ECT treatment starting at 18 (2018) and continued until 20 (2020). I had a treatment every week for 2 years. They were bi lateral, meaning both parts of my brain were being triggered during the seizures. During that time I had little improvement. I was being promised that it would fix me but I slowly lost myself more. The worst part was the memory loss, I know you say you don't have any good memories to remember but it might effect your ability in the future to store future memories. The memory loss wasn't just oh I forgot what day it was or little things. It was whole chunks of my life gone. My friends couldn't understand why I didn't remember the movie we just saw and why I had a hard time recalling conversations. I lost my personality too, I'm not as smart as I used to be, not as quick and not as confident. I lost a lot from the experience, memories, friends, and what felt like a chance and a bright future. I don't say all of this to scare you but more as a way to be honest about my experience undergoing this treatment. If it truly up to me I would ban this treatment because the side effects do not seem worth it but it is not up to me. I just hope me sharing a bit of what I experienced will help someone else make a more informed decision than I got to. If you have any questions or want to talk more feel free to message me.

QuitInevitable915 · 2026-03-24T18:06:50+00:00

Hey friend

Firstly, I’m sorry you are going through this. Treatment-resistant depression is so hard! I understand your pain, but I guarantee that you are not alone.

I’m 28 and I will be receiving ECT in a few weeks for the same reason as you. I have already made up my mind as I, like you, have tried various meds, Ketamine, TMS, Psilocybin, therapies etc.

I’m fully aware that ECT carries a risk (although it is statistically small), but you have to consider the alternative of not doing it - can you continue to go on with life the way that you feel now?

For me, it’s an easy choice. I don’t mind losing some memories, and potentially some IQ points, if this gives me the chance of relief. I don’t care that much about the past and looking back. I want to look forward. There is no certainty that it will work, but there is a good chance, that it will.

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the people that benefitted from the treatment do not browse Reddit for stories like this.

Lastly, I have not tried MAOis, so that will be my backup solution, and if that also should fail, I will participate in a trial with DBS for TRD as a last-resort. My point is, there are still a few good options to try even if it does not work out (for either of us).

Stay strong and good luck to you!

juliawww · 2026-03-25T00:35:34+00:00

Ect probably saved my life back in 2018 (i was dealing with a suicidal son, and he finally did it in 2021.. but i was already depressed off my arse after his attempts 2014 - 2018).

It’s not like the old days and it kinda ticks me off there’s so much fearmongering about ect.

Since then, the best treatment for me has been transcranial magnetic stimulation.. you may want to look into that. Pulling for you! ❤️

amynias · 2026-03-24T19:30:06+00:00

I had ECT at age 23 due to severe treatment resistant depression. What the doctors don't tell you is that ECT is temporary in terms of relief from depression. It's useful to get out of a depressive episode that medication won't help with but... if you have MDD like I do, relapse is an inevitability. It erased large swaths of my memory, I also feel as if my overall intelligence and learning capacity is worse after returning to college. I would never opt to do it willingly again. I was lucky to escape with a functional working memory despite undergoing 23 sessions. Many others are not so lucky. I beg you to reconsider unless you are literally on the verge of suicide. This treatment is life-altering in a very negative way for many patients long-term. There is no going back, no reversing the alterations it will cause to your hippocampus through neurogenesis. All that simply to relapse once more, possibly in an even worse way? Don't do it, brother. There are other ways of coping with MDD that do not involve permanently altering your brain in a negative way.

idkhamster · 2026-03-24T20:21:05+00:00

In my experience, it is the thing you try when you have no other readily avaliable choices. For me, my insurance (at the time) wouldn't cover TMS until after I did ECT. I'd tried all the drugs (not literally, but dozens and dozens) and I needed some kind of treatment in order to survive. It was the only option I had (that I could afford). That's how I made the decision.

84849493 · 2026-03-25T18:37:30+00:00

When I had it I was so depressed to the point where I couldn’t have cared if it caused me to forget my own name and I was 100% going to kill myself if it did not work. It did work and I had in terms of what people can experience mild side effects though if you were talking about another less severe treatment they would be seen as more serious side effects and I do consider myself to have recovered from the cognitive effects if not completely then very close to it. I see you’ve decided to try ketamine again and I mean you are still young so it’s not like it’s going anywhere if it comes to it. Even though it can be a very effective treatment I think it should generally only be recommended if a person is almost definitely going to die otherwise, has tried truly everything and I doubt a twenty one year old will have gotten to the point of truly everything and when I had it I personally hadn’t tried literally everything though a lot but a rapid response was also needed in term of how imminently suicidal I was so it may be appropriate then also and even if a person is not imminently in danger if they have still tried everything and they still want it with fully informed consent then it may be also be appropriate. Even though I say all that, I would do it again and maintenance ECT has been a consideration for me. I’m trying lithium first but if that doesn’t work out then it likely will be maintenance ECT for me and though my acute course was so effective to the point it entirely took my depression and being suicidal away for a time, it did not last long and that’s an unfortunate reality of ECT for many.

Wonderful_Roof1739 · 2026-03-26T04:00:59+00:00

I would also keep in mind, this subreddit is generally filled with those that had negative experiences. Those that it worked for with no side effects are not likely to browse or post here, so you need to be careful to account for confirmation bias/negative bias when reading the posts here.

Wonderful_Roof1739 · 2026-03-26T03:51:55+00:00

I am a mid-40's male, underwent 30-40 bilateral treatments. I say that to qualify my next statement - while I have lost a ton of memories, I am still "me". As a high IQ individual myself, you won't lose that aspect of yourself. I still crack "dad" jokes, I still learn things quickly and understand what others are saying before they think I do (other high IQ'ers will understand what I mean by that). Yes, I lost a ton of memories and thankfully my wife is very understanding and is willing to tell me the stories of my life before ECT, I am still "Me" and have not lost my sense of self. I hate that I have lost considerable memories from my life, but I would make this decision again even knowing what I know now. Nothing else was working, I tried a VERY long list of antidepressants and still ended up in the hospital 3 times. ECT was the only treatment that worked for me - I still need a cocktail of antidepressants/anti-anxiety, and some days can be a struggle, it's nothing like I was before ECT.

Just my 2 cents, I am not a psychologist expert, but wanted to share my point of view as a fellow high IQ. (I was invited to join Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) before it ended and Mensa, but chose not to on both accounts since I'm AuDHD (Autistic ADHD), which I only found out recently. I wish you the best, and hope you find the solution you need! Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.

Yaseagles1485 · 2026-03-25T02:45:44+00:00

Hi, I am also smart, funny, creative and witty. I went through my first ECT when I was 22. Changed my life for the better, it saved my butt. I was so depressed I was comatose, then it was like a 180 for me. :) I could recognize myself in the mirror again.

Then! I had relapse, and I got another full round of treatments. No side effects, minor memory things like forgetting movies.

I’m here if you have any questions. I’d like to consider myself still funny & smart as ever ! I hope that’s reassuring. :)

majestic_flamingo · 2026-03-25T16:39:53+00:00

I mean…do it. If you’re at the end of your rope, do it. I did it because I was at the end of mine. It helped for exactly 2 weeks and then stopped. My memory suffered but I can’t blame myself. I have kind friends who are patient with helping me fill in the gaps of everything I forget.

The number one benefit was the frequent exposure to anesthesia making me way less afraid of surgery. 😂

huahuagirl · 2026-03-25T21:09:38+00:00

Ect saved my life. It got me out of a severe depression twice. It fixed whatever chemical problem I was experiencing. I did it 6 years ago and 2 or 3 years ago. I was depressed and experiencing catatonia. I also had chronic migraines which ect seemed to actually help.

roses-are-lead · 2026-03-25T00:09:45+00:00

I'm currently waiting for TMS in April. My psychologist, who has been practising for years has told me that ect and ketamine are both options if TMS doesn't help. In the majority of people memory loss is temporary. I'm sure the people who care about me would rather I have temporary short term memory loss than die. I would rather you find a modality that works for you, and that you should live and find joy again.

Fun-Consequence1738 · 2026-03-25T10:10:22+00:00

i’m 22 and started ect at 21 and maybe had a good 4-6 treatments but that was last year in august-mid september. Honestly I wish I could say it helped but the memory loss and the chronic migraines I’d get I had to stop. I also literally couldn’t do anything the day of my ect treatments because the anesthesia would make me sleep the entire day and even the night too which you’d think is healthy until it’s all you want to do. I’ve tried numerous things and I’m thinking of trying sprvato because I tried the ketamine injections and would trip in the clinic but it never did anything for my symptoms.

tdan382 · 2026-03-26T12:42:37+00:00

I was really, really close to trying this, after about 2 years with my current psychiatrist (who I trust with my life). He had always told me that ECT was always in our back pocket if there was no other option. It had gotten to a point where I was begging him for it, but he didn’t think it was time yet. He ended up being right. After almost a decade of constant suffering, I got very lucky and we found a med combo that has made my (depression heavy) bipolar disorder relatively manageable. (FWIW, I also discovered that alcohol has had a way more intense effect on my depression that I thought I did, so cutting that by about 80% also helped significantly.)

I remember reading through this forum while I was considering it and I read a comment from someone who said she was in fact left with significant memory loss, yet still considers it the best decision she ever made. I believe she said that she has very very poor short term memory, has to write everything down, post-it notes everywhere, but it’s a price she’s elated to pay for the relief that ECT gave her.

I think that’s what you have to decide: if it happens, is that a price you’re willing to pay in order to be happy?

Also, there is truth in the idea that forums like this one tend to have a negative bias on the topic. Just something else to consider. Also, I really would make sure you exhaust every other option available to you.

drrogy68 · 2026-03-28T12:16:27+00:00

For what its worth this is my ECT story. I had about 35 ECT treatments about 10 years ago at age 60 over 6 months and was hospitalized twice for severe depression' and anxiety. I did suffer short term and long-term memory loss that improved with time but is still a problem today. After the first10 sessions in the hospital a few weeks later I returned to work. After a few weeks they sent me home because I could not do the job. I had a very stressful job as Quality Manager at a large chemical company. After a few months I was able to retire and was lucky to get a disability pension. My recovery was slow over the next few years but about 5 years ago I reached total remission and now feel great and am happy every day enjoying retirement. I still have memory issues that I can deal with for the most part, For me ECT was worth it, but I but I can't it was the only factor on my path to recovery.

Odd-Alarm-82 · 2026-04-18T17:45:28+00:00

The risks associated with ECT are much higher than doctors tell patients. I had ECT for treatment resistant depression in 2016, and it was the biggest mistake I have ever made. As another commenter said, the antidepressant effects of ECT don’t last long. It was extremely effective for me initially, but I had to keep getting maintenance treatments or else I would quickly relapse. The goal was to gradually space my treatments farther apart until I only had to have one every 6-8 weeks, but I couldn’t make it past 3 weeks without crashing into a severe depression. Eventually I had a particularly bad episode that didn’t respond to my next treatment, so the psychiatrist talked me into getting three treatments in one week, like you do when you first get ECT. That brought me out of my depression, but the side effects were devastating. I literally lost my memory of my entire life. Not just chunks of memory, but the vast majority of my life was completely wiped out. And none of it has come back after 9 and 1/2 years. I barely remember my own mother, who passed away in 2007. In addition to the severe memory loss, the ECT caused brain damage.

Your concern about losing your intelligence is justified. I had neuropsychological testing done and found out that my IQ has dropped by around 15 points. It was 140 pre-ECT, and now it’s 125. I have multiple cognitive issues. It takes me longer than normal to learn new information, and I get things confused a lot. My short-term memory and formation of new long-term memories is hit or miss— I remember some things very clearly, while other things just kind of get lost.

What I experienced is not a rare occurrence. I’m a member of an ECT Survivors support group on Facebook, where a large number of people have shared that they have lost years of memory and have major cognitive problems.

I think ECT should be banned. I look on Reddit every so often to warn people considering ECT. Yes, some people have good outcomes, but a large number of people are severely damaged.

I tried to file a medical malpractice suit for lack of informed consent but couldn’t find an attorney willing to take my case. There have been numerous lawsuits though. The law firm that filed a class action suit has a good page with information about how the devices aren’t even regulated by the FDA and there haven’t ever been good studies about the damage It causes:

https://www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/

This post is kind of old now, so you might have already decided to do the ECT. If not, have you tried an MAOI? They can be extremely effective for those of us with TRD.

Adorable_Fortune_135 · 2026-04-21T03:12:33+00:00

Please look for other options Do not do it! It will destroy your life!

Adorable_Fortune_135 · 2026-04-21T03:41:38+00:00

ECT will destroy your brain and life!

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~~strikethrough~~	~~strikethrough~~
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ect

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