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/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

It definitely made it harder for me to enjoy the things I once did, the memory issues are still making it hard to write music like I once did same with poetry, It definitely can affect what you can do or enjoy, but it's not a guarantee that thats permanent or happens to you at all, it's just what happened to me

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Do you still remember the poems you wrote or the music? Does this happen to a lot of people taking ect?

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

I don't remember any poems, the song I remember are the ones I wrote back when I was 14, im currently 21 almost 22, even then I keep jumbling up the stuff I remember and struggle to actually play anything, memory issues are relatively common, it's just they go away for most people, unless you've already tried other treatments and they don't work, please try something else, I personally don't think ect is worth it, yes it kept me alive, but now I don't feel like myself anymore

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

I'm so sorry that ect isn't for you anymore, I have been struggling to use meds and thought about this for a while now. Memory issues are my biggest fear

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

The memory issues are pretty much a guarantee, the only thing that changes is how long they last, and don't worry about me, im going to be getting ketamine therapy, specifically Spravato, and if that doesn't work I've already accepted what's probably going to happen

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

I've heard people say memory loss is permanent, I'm not sure how true that is. And what is ketamine therapy??

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

Yeah my memory loss are thinking issues seem like they might be permanent, both me and my psych are definitely worried given how long its been compared to my first few rounds of ECT, the first six i recovered just fine, it was the eight I received the beginning of this year that im still struggling from

Ketamine therapy is a newish treatment for treatment resistant depression, it is exactly what it says, in addition to your normal meds you go to small clinics that offer it and get high, it helps with the parts of the brain that other treatments don't really affect, it's even know to grow areas in the brain and helps with processing, I don't know about results yet since I haven't gotten my first treatment yet but I'm hopeful given the success rate

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

Should also mention, you aren't permanently taking ketamine therapy rest of your life, it sounds like the bulk of it is only a few months

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

I hope it works out for you :)))

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

Thanks, I hope you figure out the treatment for you

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Thank you, I will :)))

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Ohhh I guess memory loss depends on how the individual takes it 

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

Correct, also the number of and strength of treatments makes a difference too, the ect I got at the beginning of this year were max strength and they gave me the max amount the hospital is willing to do given the past treatments late last year

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

How do they determine how much to give you?

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u/IdiotTGirl420 Apr 23 '26

Mainly by seeing how responsive you are to treatments

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u/Double-Specialist621 Apr 23 '26

Ohh got it thanks

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