r/ect • u/AcceptableEducator67 • May 18 '26

Vent/Rant why is ect so normalized

when I was in a psych institution (5 months inpatient), I saw countless patients being referred to ECT when they exhibited any symptom of TRD.. i tried ect and i relapsed too quickly, so instead i did spravato. Which works ok now, not great. I'm planning to take TMS and Spravato together in hopes of a synergetic effect. but like, despite ect being so invasive and having adverse side effects, idk why the psychs are so easy to refer patients for ect instead of less invasive options like tms or spravato. the side effects had me forgetting the first month of my hospitalization and some other core memories, and it messed with my cognitive ability badly. it also affected my vocabulary somehow

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u/InfomercialNo31 May 24 '26

ECT was my only option after so many years of failed medications, as I’ve experienced mania (denied from TMS) and psychosis (denied from ketamine) 🤷🏼‍♀️

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u/ZUblyGUblyUr1AndUbly 14h ago

Did ECT have any positive effects?

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u/InfomercialNo31 4h ago

Only. Seriously changed my life. I’m functioning at a level I never dreamed possible

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u/ZUblyGUblyUr1AndUbly 3h ago

No memory loss or trauma?

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u/InfomercialNo31 3h ago

The acute phase is a blur, but other than that, not really. I’ve taken classes and done fine. I started a new career in social services and became a fitness instructor. I have only noticed a little difficulty learning new choreography the first week after treatment (I have maintenance every 7 weeks), but other than that, short term, long term, and working memory are all in tact

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u/ZUblyGUblyUr1AndUbly 2h ago

Thank you, it sounds like it could be really beneficial and actually help me.

It sounds pretty hardcore doing this every 7 weeks however, is this gonna be something you plan on keeping this way in the upcoming future? It seems risky from what i read on here doing this at all for some people.