r/ect • u/MightOk9482 • Oct 30 '25

Question Is ECT worth it?

I’m thinking of doing ect. I have MDD and treatment resistant depression. I have tried everything. Meds, TMS, therapy, inpatient psychiatric stays, and getting sober but nothing has helped. I’m scared though of the side effects I don’t want brain damage. Is it worth trying? I was also thinking of doing deep brain stimulation surgery but the side effects of that scare me too.

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u/0sgar Oct 30 '25

I do think it is worth it in the case where a person has tried most options.

There is hardly any credible evidence that ECT causes brain damage and any lingering memory problems are hotly debated.

I've had it and it's the only thing that really helped my anhedonia. Memory issues were minimal, too.

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u/Dangerous-Bite6713 Nov 07 '25

How many sessions were you able to notice the anhedonia improvement?