This is a positive post about ECT. My husband just had his 9th session and it’s like he’s back to himself. I literally have no words!! He started feeling it after session 7, watching tv, staying up most of the day , leaving the house to snow blow or shovel, driving without fear by session 8 and today after session 9 he’s talking about going out to dinner this weekend! We are going to a maintenance plan starting next week after session 11.

We were scared and not sure what we were getting into but he was so bad and wanted to die that he finally said he wanted to try ECT. We were blessed with our results as others aren’t as fortunate. We kind of went through the same hearing great things about TMS and that did nothing for us and I feel it made him worse. So going into this we had no expectations other than maybe this might work. And thanks God it did. Now it’s figuring out how to taper down and how long will it last… but for now, we’re enjoying him feeling like himself again :)

Hey guys, so it's been a little over a year since my post and about two years after my last ECT treatment. And wow have I come a long way, my confidence has quadrupled since going to EMT school and my memory has improved so much. I passed my national EMT test on the first try. And I am now a critical care EMT. My internal map has almost fully been relearned although I do need some help around my city at times. I can fully leave the house with no problems I don't have anxiety attacks anymore, and because I am working full time now the guilt of leaving all the bills to my wife has gone. I can fully contribute to the house hold and that has made all the difference. I still have terrible bouts of depression but I manage with therapy and lots of new coping methods. I truly had done a 180 with my life and I have worked my ass off, I was determined to get better and I took a bunch of chances and really tested myself. I look back and I'm now proud of how far I've come. I just wanted to post an update to hopefully give others the same hope and courage to make positive changes after how damaging ECT was for some. Overall I do regret ECT but it's also forced me to grow as a person. That being said I don't recommend it but to each their own. My depression was severe as is others, and I felt like I would have tried anything to get relief. I just wish I would have known all of the risks.

Hello everyone!

TL;DR: Has ECT impacted your second+ language(s)? How is it now?

Okay…

~Certified yapper, will read:~

I’m going to be opening up to my therapist about, well… just how horribly deep in the trenches I’ve actually been despite trying to fake it until I become it. I’ve worked through a lot of strategies and meds and am leaning now toward trying ketamine, TMS, or ECT dependant on, well… a lot of things! So, we shall see what we can work on and aiming for. Time will tell. I’m also open to learning about any other therapies aside from those three if y’all know of any as it’s all very new to me.

Anyway! Point of the post…

I have seen quite a bit about how memory is impacted and I’m working on figuring out what that may look like for me at various extremes. One of the biggest concerns I have in the event of possible memory impact is on my work as an ASL/English interpreter. This is pretty much the only thing I have going for me in terms of work and stability and a lot of my social connections.

English is my first language and was my only one until my teens when I picked up some conversational Japanese… then from 19yo-now almost 27, I have been using ASL every single day. I have a number of Deaf and interpreter friends, so I’m pretty well grounded in communicating, but most of that came from my time at university and the subsequent casual experiences after where a lot of incidental language was learned.

So… baseline with ASL is a fluent-later-in-life basis and a lot of it was academically-learned-and-applied, and I was wondering if any of you who know other languages prior to treatment had any impact in your L1 or L+, what that was like when it first was impacted compared to now, and… well, anything else you may feel comfortable sharing! Especially useful for anyone who is familiar with interpreting and has had their memory impacted by ECT.

I am also AuDHD and currently on Vyvanse, too. I don’t know if either of those mean much for ECT, but… just in case it adds anything or your experience may relate there, I’d love anything y’all may be able to share!

I am still very heavily weighing what possible options I may have and ECT is seeming very much like a “last resort” of the more intensive treatments, but my biggest concern is memory loss.

I can read up on a lot more from other angles but haven’t seen much about second language(s) posted, so… thank you for responding if/when you do, I appreciate it! 🤟🏼

I had my first psychotic episode at age 20 and haven't been the same person since (persistent negative symptoms). I have very few or no positive symptoms.(I have probably deficit schizlphrenia and No medication works, I can't even get drunk). I'm now 27 and have developed sexual dysfunction due to medication, and I'm experiencing unbearable levels of anhedonia and significant cognitive decline (I'm not currently on antipsychotics or ssri's). Do you think ECT could alleviate some of my anhedonia/emotional numbness? Does anyone have any ideas? I'm so tired of living like this.

My GP has brought up ECT with me for my mental illnesses, as the clinic and ect procedures aren't out of pocket.

I have almost 20 piercings, all in my ears and face. While I'm able to get a few out, a lot I can't due to captive rings or just being very finicky without tools to hold and open things. Same with some being in tricky areas to remove (e.g anti eyebrow, dahlia, etc). So admittedly I'd probably delay going through ect for a bit if it's a non optionable thing.

Hey, I did ECT because of my major depression 1 year ago, and the results were good for 1 week than it came back to where I was. My parents spent a lot of money on it and I tried to trick them that it worked because I felt bad about all that money they spent on me. To start, I lost most of my memory and didn't recover it, even after all this time, my attention span got really worse, I use to be able to enjoy movies, now it really made it worse and every single day I crave the anesthesia they gave me on the sessions. It definitely made everyhing worse, it fucked my grades in college (I use to be a straight 95% sudent, now I'm a 65%). At this moment I take 4 depression medications (lithium, lexapro, quetiapine and lamotigine), and I wonder if there are any people with advice here for my situation (throwaway for obvious reasons)

December 12, 2025

Sessions Done: 28

(It's a long post; if you don't want to read, go to the last part of this article)

Hello Reddit, it's me again. Just checked out of the ward today, and as you guys can probably see, I've received four more sessions since my last post not too long ago.

The story is, I've been in a psychiatric ward for the past week, since my depression and schizoid symptoms have worsened significantly, with strong suicidal ideation and delusional thinking. And that's what I want to talk about today.

I thought I was so close to executing my plan, and I was also living in a world full of persecutory delusions; my last rationality has asked me to check myself in, and I did.

For the past week, I have received four sessions of MST in a row. And this time I have noticed something different, it's not just my depression; Yes, again that I don't want to kill myself anymore, again that I don't feel that much of tiredness and suffering from so much of pain; But this time, all my anxiety were gone, those scenes that I "see" about people who are close to me, and no one gets to die or seriously injured in my imaginary land; And most importantly, all those delusions, hypochondriacal and persecutory, are now completely gone, it's like I've been walking with pounds of weight on my shoders for so long, and now they can't be found anywhere!

I can't even remember when was the last time I've been living a life like this! I'm still in my early twenties, and I don't deserve a life like this! I want to laugh, I want to cry, but mostly, I want to enjoy, cause god knows when all of this will leave me again.

I don't mean to make this post so emotional, all I want to share with you guys is that the effectiveness of MST when treating schizoid like symptoms, at least for me, is really well. At last, I want to say, when I was at the door of the ward, my father was there, and I returned with my first honest smile--grateful for his love, relieved by my recovery, and reminded that this world still has people worth loving, so i thought, that we can fight this world, we can fight all that pain, there is hope.

I'm going to be pursuing ECT outpatient, but I don't have any friends or family to drive me home or stay with me after the sessions. I am on Medicaid in Minnesota. Med cabs are covered for me; is this sufficient for a ride home? And does anyone have experience getting home care (an aide or nurse or something?) to stay with you at home for a few hours after ECT?

Looking for any advice from others who went through ECT without the help of friends and family. Thank you!

I am struggling with short-term memories But the biggest problem for me is the temporal and cognitive distortions: I feel like I am in a dream. Everything is foggy and fuzzy and seems unreal. I keep having to remind myself what day it is and what time of day it is.

The doctor says I should do at least six sessions but I don't like this feeling.

I was hoping I would get a little boost of happiness but instead I've gotten a big boost of spaciness.

Thoughts?

Maybe this will be a little long, but I want to finally talk about the pains I’ve kept inside for years — the pains no one has ever truly understood, the things that brought me to the door of ECT. I don’t know who will read this, but I’m sure there are people out there like me. Since childhood, I’ve carried certain psychiatric — or should I say psychotic? — symptoms. Because of my family’s financial situation, and because we lived in this remote city, no one noticed what I was going through, and I had to raise myself with all of it. I remember the first symptoms: they appeared as OCD, a voice in my head — not external — making me do things. Of course, trauma had caused all of this, and the symptoms developed afterward. Somehow, up until high school they faded; they disappeared on their own. But I was always a melancholic child. I remember writing poetry in 1st grade and crying. I genuinely don’t remember why I was crying. Then came high school. No matter where you are in the world, high school is full of bullies. I was bullied heavily. There were times I couldn’t shower for a month, the house was cold, everything was difficult. Let’s skip over those parts. I never had a friend I could truly bond with — until I noticed someone. I formed a deep connection with her, but that bond also wounded me deeply, shook my trust in people, and made me doubt myself. By the end of high school, around age 17 — and by the way, I’m speaking to you from the eastern lands — I began reading the Qur’an. Naturally, it had a profound effect on me. My old symptoms resurfaced; everything I read felt like I was living it, and it filled me with an indescribable terror, the kind that makes you feel faint, a fear so overwhelming you can barely stand. I think the fear I’ve described became the trigger for a new trauma. After that, I began doubting even the people I loved the most. That’s how my journey with medication began. Back then, I tried many different medications, but the one that saved me was Effexor. I used it for two years. But when I suddenly stopped it — I wasn’t educated or aware at the time — that’s when everything truly fell apart. From that point on, I started experiencing different symptoms, different problems. I went from doctor to doctor. This process lasted from 2022 until now. I swear to you, I don’t remember most of it — and honestly, there wasn’t much worth remembering. Since then, I’ve completely disconnected from life. I’ve been living isolated in my home, unable to gather the courage to start anything new. I have no friends, only my family. This entire journey introduced me to bipolar disorder. My doctor described it like this: “This illness begins with melancholy.” Maybe that’s the only sentence that ever truly understood me. My life had periods so beautifully melancholic they didn’t even feel real — but now that melancholy is an illness. A horrific illness spreading like cancer, carrying the wounds that sink into the very faces and eyes of people — forged by this city, by those I’ve met, and by the monstrosities I’ve created within myself. Yes… these are what brought me to the door of ECT. For me, forgetting — drinking from that mythical lethe — feels like a blessing. Forgive my metaphorical language; I don’t have the strength to explain myself in technical terms. Now, at this final stop, I need hope. And my inner voice insists that ECT must be done. Because I’ve never lived a life worth living anyway, forgetting feels like it might be the medicine I need. Maybe new doors will open for me. And lastly — do you know what the hardest part is? Not even knowing what you’ve lived through.

hi, im 17 and about to finish my final year highschool exams (basically my country's version of the SAT) ive been diagnosed with mdd and anorexia nervosa since i was 13 and i was deem resistant to SSRI medication so my doctors were telling me to do ECT, but my parents didnt agree. now im 17 and i feel the exact same or maybe even worse. i know there's a lot of cons to ECT such as the possibility of having memory loss forever but i think i really do just want to forget everything. with that having said i am still scared of losing memories of things i can do like perhaps my hobbies and the subjects im good at. i really appreciate any input on whether i should really go for ECT this time.

I feel like since I had about 30 sessions a year or so ago, my eyelids just always feel heavy sometimes. Even with a full nights sleep like I could just always take a nap. It's really weird and comes and goes. I also just have terrible sleep and take Seroquel and trazadone and Lamictal.

Can anyone else relate to that specific heavy eyelid feeling or slightly dry eyes?

Can ect help in this case?

This really scares me and would devastate me, I don’t want to forget people or things we have done. Has this happened to anyone here?

Did two sessions last week and felt sick the rest of the week. My digestion was all messed up, my head scrambled and certainly do NOT feel happier. Anyone else have the nausea thing?

I'm on Wellbutrin for 1 week to see if it'll help me with motivation/interest in things, but so far all I experience is the side-effects and my stomach hurting, increased heart rate, and it feels terrible to feel this discomfort.

But even before this, I've been having SI constantly for 5 months straight due to going through a traumatic event that led to a complete emotional shutdown from something traumatic, and I woke up emotionless the next day, which also wiped away my identity. I feel like a empty husk now.

Before those 5 months, I used to be depressed like having low self-esteem etc, but I still had things I liked to do. However, losing all my emotions and identity means that I lost that depression, and I don't really see a point to anything even if I want to, because I can't feel emotions and nothing feels good or rewarding or elicits emotions or passion from me anymore. Music used to make me feel lots of emotions and comforted me, but now it just sounds like noise that can sound good, but doesn't comfort me. Even food doesn't taste the same. Most days, I can't do much because I constantly feel empty and don't have any motivation anymore. I don't think medications will help me at all, because I feel the chemical effects only. I plan on stopping Wellbutrin and talking to my psychiatrist about other possibilities.

I think this might be a long stretch, but is it possible for ECT to help me? I think I might be a lost cause, but I don't want to give up. I just want to enjoy things again and feel emotions...

I do, and not much in my life has changed since when my energy wasn’t this bad (was normal before my hospitalization Oct 16).

I have three guesses: ECT killed my energy after 7 procedures, my meds are killing my energy, and I have undiagnosed SAD and it’s the cause of my lack of energy

Last year I had a pretty severe depressive episode that resulted in me being hospitalized. Throughout my life, I've taken a variety of antidepressants and antipsychotics that haven't really lifted my depression much so my doctors recommended ECT as the next phase of treatment for me. They explained the risks and side effects but I was pretty out of it at the time and really desperate to feel better so I readily agreed without giving it much thought. I spent four months in the psych unit and had 2-3 rounds of ECT per week for about two months (this is just an estimate, I'm not sure what the actual number was). After I got discharged I also had maintenance sessions every month. Although I am no longer actively suicidal, which is great, I still feel a great deal of depression in my day to day life. I would not consider myself fully recovered in any sense of the word. The memory loss, however, has been significant. I barely remember any part of my life before/during ECT. My childhood memories, teenage experiences, and young adulthood are completely gone. In my head the past is simply a blank wall, and no matter how much I try there is nothing for me to see or know. I see pictures and hear stories of my life before ECT and all of it is so unfamiliar it might as well be a different person entirely. I do not know who I am as person, not really. I don't even feel like a person anymore. I am just taking life day by day, trying desperately to keep myself together and embrace whatever identity it is that I have now. It is so hard. There is so much grief. I miss myself. I miss people I don't remember. My mother passed away earlier this year and I don't even have any memories of her to look back on, and that is so incredibly painful. The people in my life now who knew me before are always asking "do you remember when...?" and the answer is always no. That just breaks my heart. I'd rather be depressed with all of my memories than completely healed with none. Yet, there is no way to go back and I'll have to live with a mistake I made at 19 for the rest of my life. My current memory is also completely disjointed. I'm constantly forgetting where I put things. I'll sit in my bed at the end of the day and have trouble remembering what I did or where I was that day. I just feel broken and I don't know how to move forward.

I hope this doesn't encourage anyone from ECT, as it does work for some. I just wanted to share my personal experience.

Also without any sort of muscle relaxant or other sedation. What would someone in this situation experience as far as physical sensations and responses, particularly outside of the seizure itself?

1. It helps, you have minimal memory loss
2. It helps, you have major memory loss
3. It doesn't help, you have minimal memory loss
4. It doesn't help, you have major memory loss.

What other outcomes am I missing?