Can ECT cause long term memory loss?

Lynibeth

I'm 18 years old. A few years ago I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with severe depression. In there I tried several attempts on my life. My psychiatrist had been seeing me for a few years before hand and claimed I was the worst case of depression he'd ever seen. I was (and still am) on max. dose of efexor XL and although I'm not so bad now, then it did nothing. I'd been on about 40 different types of meds including clozaril because they thought I was schizophrenic. Eventually I was forced to have several sessions of ECT. My mam basically reminded me of most of this as I can't remember most of it. I remember parts like just before having the actual ECT but not other stuff.. I've heard that ECT does mess up your memory. Does anyone know if this is true?

Bit fed up to be honest..

Thanks.

nesf

First off, I both relate and sympathise. I've also done my time on Effexor, Zispin, anti-psychotics et al. I'm coming down off Effexor atm (I've been coming out of a 4 year depression for the past 10 months and they finally think i'm good enough to get off it!). And I can assure you that all the hype about the withdrawl effects is unjustified. So long as you step down in dosage, in my case down in steps of 75 mg, then it's fine. I'm down to 150mg a day where I used to be on 300mg. With little bad side effects


As for ECT.

ECT doesn't cause long term memory loss. It can effect your memory of close to the time you recieve it. That being you can lose the hour around each session. But it doesn't cause any long term memory problems.

In fact, ECT has far less side effects that chemical therapies, is very safe and very effective.

Don't worry about it. You will be fine. Take care of yourself and remember, no depressive episode lasts forever. It can be hard to remember that while in one, but you will come out of this. It's just a matter of time.

DrIndy

As nesf says - there is amnesia for a while before and after the event. This is in part due to the ECT and in part due to the anaesthetics given around the time. ECT is very effective for severe depression particularily when attempts of self harm or severe self neglect are associated and although the effects are short term, are enough to lift the mood for the period of time needed to allow anti-depressants to work which contrary to popular belief really need about 4 weeks to start to make an effect.

nesf

DrIndy wrote:

to allow anti-depressants to work which contrary to popular belief really need about 4 weeks to start to make an effect.

I'd argue that a figure of 4 weeks is very optimistic. Personally, I didn't see an improvement until about 5 months into treatment. They have to scale dosage up slowly to minimise side effects etc.

I'd say, personally, that 3-5 weeks figures don't apply to anyone with "severe" or "atypical" flavour depression. But that's an uneducated opinion tainted with personal experience, to say the least.

DrIndy

People do respond very differently. In simple mild-moderate depression, 4 weeks is normal before the effects start to kick in.

ECT causes a seizure artificially - and doctors noticed that depressed epileptics had improved mood after a seizure - and then tried to implement it artificially.

ECT DOES cause short term amnesia - but so does benzodiazepines that are often given to relax someone before they get a procedure and this adds to the effect.

Lynibeth

Thanks for the respones.. I'm more worried about how the time in the hospital has f*cked me up more so than the ECT at the moment. Having horrible nightmares and I feel really low when i think about the people, the things I saw and the way I was.. I almost need therapy for that aswell.. *sigh* ah I dunno..

Thanks you guys.

Kernel

Lynibeth wrote:

Thanks for the respones.. I'm more worried about how the time in the hospital has f*cked me up more so than the ECT at the moment. Having horrible nightmares and I feel really low when i think about the people, the things I saw and the way I was.. I almost need therapy for that aswell.. *sigh* ah I dunno..

Thanks you guys.

Hang in there Lynibeth, no nightmare lasts forever, and you'll feel better in time.

Lynibeth

You're right, thanks

Chauncey_freak

Hope you feel better soon Lynibeth, it's a road so many of us have been down, and it's never good...remember you have people who care about you.. It doesn't matter who we are, the fact is we hope you are doing well.

Hooray!!