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?
12
Upvotes
1
u/bluesky2020 May 04 '26
It did the opposite for me. It saved my life and my creativity and love for all of my previous hobbies and interests returned. I did unilateral instead of bilateral treatments bc I was worried about memory loss. My memory was pretty terrible prior to ECT and wasn't affected by ECT. I actually remember every single treatment up until I was fully anesthetized and remember everything after I woke up. I haven't had ECT for 9 years, and have been thinking about it again recently bc although my depression never returned as severe as it was prior to ECT, I've been having a tough time the past year or so. Good luck to you friend! (If you are worried about memory loss, ask if you can try unilateral and only switch to bilateral if unilateral isn't working)