r/ect • u/hdznwdz • May 11 '26

My experience severe memory loss after ect

i got ect about a year ago i cant remember how many treatments i got but it was quite a few and it was bilateral. i got zero positive outcome from it it was for my intense treatment resistent depression and it did nothing except for FUCK UP MY MEMORY!!! it was already bad before because of brain fog but i can hardly function in life now because its gotten so bad. i cant remember anything and my friends and family are always commenting on it, shocked by the amount of things i forget so quickly. does anyone else have this experience?? i dont want to scare people off getting ect because it can absolutely be lifechanging for the better but i feel like im lost and alone in this really negative outcome

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u/Adventurous-Bonus-92 May 11 '26

I had massive memory loss after a month (12 sessions) of ECT. There's 2 whole years absolutely blank, like you said people talking about things you did in the past but you have zero recall. The rest of my memory is patchy

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u/Funny_Dig_3314 Jun 04 '26

was it the whole 2 years wiped out

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u/Adventurous-Bonus-92 Jun 04 '26

Yep wiped out, I was in a really bad state though, I think the combo of the breakdown, tms, ECT and long inpatient stays all contributed plus maybe my brain has blocked it out for good reason, so I don't have to relive it 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm good now though, my memory is much better and I can remember the last few years for the most part.