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electric shock therapy?


Guest bronny65

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Guest bronny65

Has anyone heard of electric shock therapy for ocd and depression? I haveboth of these and medication is not helping even though i hv tried a few different ones.. My psychiatrist mentioned the electric shock therapy as a last resort.

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Has anyone heard of electric shock therapy for ocd and depression? I haveboth of these and medication is not helping even though i hv tried a few different ones.. My psychiatrist mentioned the electric shock therapy as a last resort.

I have, is it ECT you are having? It is used more widely in Aussie than here in the UK I think, and that is not a good thing. We don't recommend ECT for OCD here in the UK, and I have serious concerns about its use for Depression, but that's another story, but for OCD we don't recommend it Bronny. My advice would be to find another psychiatrist who is more open to and specialised in the use of psychological therapy.

Ashley :)

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Whilst for some ECT might be considered a life saver, it should only be considered as a last resort, there are much safer and less invasive treatments out there for depression. The side effects in some cases have been shown to be short term memory loss yes, but evidence is also showing that some people do complain that their memory has been permanently affected, and even that their personalities have changed post ECT. So ECT should not be taken lightly and that there is no risk without possible long term problems.

So ECT should not be lightly considered until all safe and invasive treatments have been considered. However, who makes that judgement call is an issue and should not be the doctors involved with the ECT, for example one American website (for OCD not depression) suggesting that an OCD patient is deemed 'treatment-resistant' if his symptoms failed to improve after two trials of SSRIs with no reference to psychological treatment, so to me that is not treatment resistant, just medication resistant.

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Guest irretractable

I agree with Ashley, especially her points about the seriousness of the side effects. However, if you have a good doctor and really have explored/tried many many options, I wouldn't let the side effects completely scare you away. I was very close to having ECT myself because I had tried so many things, and I couldn't bear the thought of going on feeling like I was. I was willing to tolerate memory loss, personality changes, almost anything to not feel the way I felt. However, we tried one more med (lithium), and it worked. But if I got to the point again that I was then, I would definitely have ECT. I've seen it work very well for some people. And it's not nearly as barbaric as it sounds. It's quite humane, done under general anesthesia. Your body is paralyzed so you don't actually have a seizure (just your brain has a seizure). It's a drastic measure...but sometimes that's necessary.

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I wouldn't let the side effects completely scare you away.

I agree, and I am not trying to scare anyone, but I do think that for ECT it is considered almost danger free, when it is not, and other invasive treatments like DBS for OCD the side effects are often not made clear to the patients, and they are too easily given the impression that this is their last resort, when in fact there is always other options.

All I want to do is ensure that people get to make an informed choice, not out of desperation but based off sound science and other options are presented to the patient first. Up to them then if they choose to proceed, risks and all.

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All I want to do is ensure that people get to make an informed choice, not out of desperation but based off sound science and other options are presented to the patient first. Up to them then if they choose to proceed, risks and all.

(am I allowed to quote myself, or is that the height of forum arrogance? :D )

I just checked the NICE guidelines for depression, which is the set of standards that NHS doctors here in the UK are supposed to follow when treating patients with depression. (ECT is not recommended in the NICE guidelines for OCD). I think NICE basically are saying the same as we have, don't discount ECT, use as a last resort and make sure patient is aware of all options.

Consider ECT for severe, life-threatening depression and when a rapid response is required, or when other treatments have failed. Do not use ECT routinely for people with moderate depression but consider it if their depression has not responded to multiple treatments. Ensure the person is fully informed of the risks and benefits associated with having ECT.

Document the assessment and consider:

– the risks associated with a general anaesthetic

– medical comorbidities

– potential adverse events, notably cognitive impairment

– the risks associated with not receiving ECT.

Make the decision to use ECT jointly with the person if possible, taking into account the Mental Health Act 2007. Also:

– obtain valid informed consent without pressure or coercion

– remind the person of their right to withdraw consent at any point

– adhere to recognised guidelines about consent and involve advocates or carers

– if informed consent is not possible, give ECT only if it does not conflict with a valid advance directive, and consult the person’s advocate or carer.

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Guest sarah1984

Both my mum and my nan (mum's mum) have had ECT for depression during inpatient stays in the 80s while the old mental hospitals were still open. My nan had two separate courses of ECT which saved her life and brought her out of psychotic depression. In both instances, she was near death - she'd stopped eating and drinking due to her depression. Psychological treatments wouldn't have worked because she was totally out of it and there was no getting through to her. My mum experienced a bad episode of depression after the death of her first husband and she requested ECT because it had worked so well for her mum. Her depression was nowhere near as serious as my nan's - she was still capable of looking after herself and she wasn't psychotic. Because she pestered the doctors so much, they gave in and let her have ECT which shows just how much attitudes have changed between the early 80s and the present day. Neither my nan or my mum experienced any negative long term side effects although mum thinks she may have lost some of the memories about looking after her terminally ill husband which she thinks is no bad thing.

I've never heard of ECT as a recommended treatment for OCD. I agree with Ashley that it should only be considered as a treatment of last resort for severe depression because of the potential for dangerous side effects including permanent memory loss and personality changes. I remember naively asking about the possibility of ECT when I was first ill with anxiety and my psychiatrist laughed at me (she was rather unpleasant and sarcastic) and said there wasn't a hope in hell of me being considered eligible. I think the scary thing about ECT is that although it works for some people, the experts still aren't exactly sure how it works, even after using it for nearly 80 years.

Bronny, if you are interested in finding out more about ECT, I would take a look at this guide from Mind: http://www.mind.org.uk/help/medical_and_alternative_care/making_sense_of_ect

Sarah

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Hi Bronny,

when I was first diagnosed with OCD and depression in 1989 I was given a course of ECT. More than 20 years later I still have OCD and depression - it didn't cure me of either, although at the time it really did mess with my short term memory. It may be effective for you, it may not, but if I was offered ECT again I would decline it.

Hope this helps

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