Help Does electroshock therapy help?

[3FailedAttemptss]

I figured I should ask this here as well. I just tried to kill myself in the psych ward (https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/failed-partial-hanging-in-psych-ward-i-fucked-up.203545/) and they're going to keep me here a little longer.

They said they wanted to try electro shock therapy for me, but I'm so skeptical. I feel like that sounds terrible and awful, but the doctor was really saying like no, this is a good thing, and "if I was ever depressed, this is what I would want". I don't know if I can trust him or not, and so I just wanna hear if you guys have had any experiences or think it's good or whatnot.

he said the worst is just that you could have a little memory loss, but it has good results so I don't know it just sounds so scary.

 

[hang in there]

I figured I should ask this here as well. I just tried to kill myself in the psych ward (https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/failed-partial-hanging-in-psych-ward-i-fucked-up.203545/) and they're going to keep me here a little longer.

They said they wanted to try electro shock therapy for me, but I'm so skeptical. I feel like that sounds terrible and awful, but the doctor was really saying like no, this is a good thing, and "if I was ever depressed, this is what I would want". I don't know if I can trust him or not, and so I just wanna hear if you guys have had any experiences or think it's good or whatnot.

he said the worst is just that you could have a little memory loss, but it has good results so I don't know it just sounds so scary.

The way it works is they completely sedate you and induce paralysis in your entire body except for one foot. They leave one foot to assess if the shock took effect. Then they shock your brain into having a grand mal seizure, which causes no damage to you due to the paralysis. The shock causes changes in the brain that basically reverse the damage a mood disorder does to your brain, and with enough treatments (usually less than 20) your brain can be completely healed and you will have no recurrences of your mood disorder.
It's fucking magical. I am really jealous.

 

[Felodese]

Sorry, but it's not magical. And unfortunatly doctors have a tendency to over-sell it and not provide patients with the information they need in order to make an informed decision.

ECT does have a fairly good success rate, meaning about 60% of patients see an improvement. How big that improvement is can vary quite a bit though. Some are "cured", some have less severe symptoms, some feel no difference, and some feel worse.

You should also be aware of the possible side effects before you agree to any form of treatment.
There are the short term side effects such as confusion, temporary memory loss/difficulty forming memories, nausea, headaches, jaw pain or muscle aches. And then there are the possible long term side effects: permanent memory loss, difficulty forming new memories, loss of cognitive functions (for example issues with attention/concentration or learning/information processing), and heart issues.

All medical treatments have side effects. All treatments vary in how effective they are.
Be wary of doctors/psychiatrist/psychologist who tell you they have a magic solution to All your problems.