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Re: ECT Treatment

Posted by SLS on May 11, 2000, at 7:08:37

In reply to ECT Treatment, posted by PaulS on May 11, 2000, at 1:48:38

Hi Paul.

> I have had both the unilateral and bilateral treatment and the foggy memory was much less with the unilateral treatment. At no time have I ever felt that permanent damage was done.

A few questions:

- What is your diagnosis? What type of depression do you suffer from - melancholic, atypical, psychotic?
- In what year did you have your treatments?
- With unilateral treatment, which hemisphere did they stimulate?
- How did you respond? Are you on maintenance treatment?

I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I remain in a continual state of depression that has lasted for over twenty years. My depression presents as the atypical type, with hypersominia, hyperphagia/weight gain, anergia, slowed thinking, and slowed speech.

I underwent a series of ECT treatments in 1991. The first 6 were unilateral LEFT. Because I experienced no improvement, the next 6 were bilateral. Bilateral treatments definitely affected me more in terms of memory and cognition. It took about a month for these effects to disappear.

How would you compare left unilateral versus right unilateral treatments?

Thanks.


> Having said that, I do not know that I can recommend ECT treatment because of the varied responses I have seen. Several people I have met said that ECT saved their lives, quite a few saw no benefit, and a few felt it damaged their memory long term. The last group is not to be taken lightly as depressed people who feel this way (rightly or wrongly) can become even more despondent if they think ECT has done them harm.

A friend of mine underwent several series of ECT without receiving much benefit. She did, however, complain that the treatments had irreversibly damaged her memory. This, of course, did cause her to become more despondent and demoralized. I often tried to console her that her perceived impairments of memory were most likely due to the depression itself. This notion was reinforced by her doctors, but she was convinced otherwise. Since memory disturbances become a more prominent feature of depression as one ages, it must surely have felt to her that her memory impairments had become worse than they were in those years prior to receiving ECT. It was wonderful to see all of her memory problems vanish when she finally responded to treatment. Well, at least she thought they did. She doesn't complain anymore.

This scenario regarding memory may not be universal, but I doubt that it is uncommon.


- Scott

 

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