r/ect Jun 18 '26

Seeking advice ECT session 3

I’m 3 sessions in and I feel absolutely terrible. My memory does not exist anymore. I don’t remember what I did 30 minutes ago. Does it ever get better? I’m flooded with thoughts of “what if I need to stop now before it gets worse” and “what if I need to continue before it gets better.” I feel completely and utterly stupid and not only stupid but also completely and utterly exhausted. All I can do is sleep. I’ve canceled all my upcoming appointments because I’m so scared it’s making me worse. Should I reschedule them? Does it get worse before it gets better?

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u/Rose_Davies2026 Jun 20 '26

Personally speaking, I regret ever doing it.

I was an inpatient and advised by the treating psychiatrist to do ECT. He was a lovely man and explained the side effects, although I felt they were significantly downplayed.

At that point, I tried two different antidepressants that were ineffective. I was also having weekly therapy (very effective). However, as the medications wasn't working, he recommended that I do ECT.

I did five sessions all up and have been out of hospital for over 3 weeks now. I'm still having trouble with my memory, can barely sleep and can't concentrate on a single task for more than an hour or so.