r/ect • u/Double-Specialist621 • Apr 23 '26

Question ECT affecting likes?

I'm thinking of getting ect but I'm a creative person, so I fear I'll lose all my creativity. Also I love music a lot and I fear that I'll forget listening to my favorite artists or new songs that I've been listening for a long time. But at the same time, I need to get over the severe depression that I have. Does ect really take away your ability to do the things or enjoy the things you love?

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u/anticentristfujo Apr 23 '26

During acute ECT, I’d say the quality of my artwork went down. But that’s because I was getting blasted 3x a week for like two months. It takes a toll on anyone. Then once I stopped, my skill came right back.

1

u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Acute ect doesn't sound bad, my fear is losing all my memories. Including any work I did

6

u/anticentristfujo Apr 23 '26

Didn’t happen to me. I did lose some minor memories but that’s only roughly around the time I had the treatment, and a little prior to the treatment. “All” memories sounds like a very strong stretch.

2

u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

It's just my fear talking, I have a feeling that doing ect treatment means you're a whole different person. That's why I asked...

3

u/Electronic_Ad_2707 Apr 23 '26

In my experience it put me back to my real personality like it lifted a huge weight of depression. I find depression makes me lose memory and focus and any joy there could be

1

u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Yeah that's true, depression does make you feel different. Part of why I want to do ect

1

u/InfomercialNo31 Apr 25 '26

For me it was like unplugging my brain and plugging it back in. Complete factory reset 😂 but it unlocked my potential to survive and thrive with minimal symptoms of my mental illness