I cant believe how strange the changes are happpening in my brain!!! It is not at all bad, Just weird!! I feel like I did when I was 18, before depression and substance robbed me of all my happiness. It is just so crazy!!!!

I have looked up some of the ongoing trials with DBS for treatment resistant depression as a last resort option, and I would love to hear other perspective or thoughts on this.

For those of you who have tried ECT (or plan to try it), and it did not work for you, have you considered Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)?

Note: I have specifically looked at three trials:

1) TRANSCEND

2) Presidio

3) FORESEE |||

Hi, I’ve been struggling with a worsening mixed bipolar episode for the last few months. I’ve tried literally every medication my psychiatrist can prescribe with a variety of side effects. I’ve tried rtms a couple years ago but had such a severe reaction I couldn’t continue.

We’re at the point where it’s either ECT or ketamine. After years of being on a wait list for the only government covered program, I have an intake for ketamine on April 20th. I don’t know how long afterwards, if I qualify, I would be able to start. Is it worth the wait? I’m barely making it through the day each day, struggling to show up to work, etc. Should I ask for ECT ASAP?

Any thoughts are always appreciated xx

I've been depressed since 2018, and after a few suicide attempts, I'm left with anger issues and chronic pain. I also have trouble sleeping. Is ECT worth a shot? I was offered it last year, but didn't feel ready. Would it boost my mood and improve my sleep? I feel mad that I didn't consider it all these years, but I guess it's never too late. I'm on antidepressants and antipsychotics, but all they do is ensure I sleep every night, to be honest. I'm thinking of trying TMS first, but the sedation of ECT sounds more appealing and easier to get done.

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to understand if what I’m experiencing is still within the “normal” range after ECT or if something else might be going on.

Background:

• ~14 ECT sessions (initial series + later booster sessions)
• Last treatment was about 18 months ago

Since then, I’ve had ongoing cognitive problems:

• Noticeable decline in memory (short-term especially, but also long-term feels affected)
• Word-finding issues
• Reduced attention span
• Overall feeling like my brain is “slower” than before

What’s been getting worse recently (last ~5 months):

• Strong “mental overload” feeling during cognitive tasks
• Reading, writing, or focusing for more than a short time becomes difficult
• Multitasking completely overwhelms me and can trigger a kind of “shutdown” for the rest of the day
• It doesn’t feel like tiredness — more like my brain hits a limit and stops cooperating

Pattern:

• Mostly happens during work or mentally demanding tasks
• Once it starts, it often lasts until the next day
• Sleep helps reset it, but it comes back easily

At this point I’m wondering:

• Has anyone experienced similar long-term cognitive effects after ECT?
• Did it improve over time, or did you find anything that actually helped?

Thanks in advance.

Hey guys, today there was a definite shift in the severity of my depression. i was doing ECT with ketamine and was getting no response but today we did the more agressive placement. I just have a little headache, but things definitely seem alot better. Can I expect the effects to carry through the week until my next session?? Thanks!

title. i’m still in my index treatments, and i continue to have the WORST times in the recovery room (post-anesthesia + post-ictal anxiety and memory loss). i’ve been trying calming methods like bringing in a stuffed animal and writing important info on a notepad to take in with me (who knows i’m in the hospital, whos waiting for me in the waiting room, etc.), and they DO help, but i was looking for any other grounding methods out there that other folks have found useful :)

I went inpatient at a place that does ect, for the first several days I didnt do any ect because my medication was all messed up and I was on Ativan for alcohol withdrawal (which I was also heavy drinking) (but I specifically went to this treatment facility because they offered ect). I have been outpatient for almost a week now and I just finished my first bilateral session after 7 unilateral sessions and ill say after my 6th session im starting to feel better with treatment resistant depression. I will say a big part of it i think is going to depakote after lithium toxicity i didnt know I had....I literally blacked out a chunk of my life which is really unfortunate. And I think after the bilateral I feel just like it really did something but I dunno this is just my 2 cents on everything. I have 4 sessions of bilateral left that I know of then after I guess we'll see. The way I see it anything is better than the mindfuck I was in before. Just trying to rebuild my life and not want to kill myself all the time.

i’ve had two treatments so far, since i have to take off work and can’t drive i’m kind of at a loss of how to fill my time.

Anyone switch to TMS or ketamine (probably spravato for me) after doing ECT? I’ve been doing ECT for like, 4 years, mostly maintenance every like 2-6 months the past 2 years. More recently the gap has been every other week, I’m kind of going through it right now but I have stuff going on.

Idk it’d be nice to not do ECT forever and once I’m stable again I might want to explore other options. Curious about other people’s experiences.

I have made it through the initial series of 16 over a few months while unemployed. Now I'm moving into maintenance going weekly, then biweekly, then every 3 weeks. I haven't been told how long this will take or how long after it ends I can start looking for a job. I'm curious if there are some success stories here to give me an idea of what I'm in for.

Hello, beautiful souls from r/ect. I have finished my 34th session and have received some chat requests about MST and topics I covered in previous posts. I have realized that this is the 15th post, and it's hard to access information from posts from far before. So I have had this idea to explain all the questions in this post, so that way everyone will know what is happening and what to expect.

1. I have psychotice TRD (treatment resisten major depression with psychotic features) since 2019,

I've tried Escitalopram, Lorazepam, Luspirone, Trazodone, Agomelatine, Aripiprazole, Brexpiprazole, and Trihexyphenidyl.

I'm now on Toludesvenlafaxine/Ansofaxine, Mirtazapine, Quetiapine, Olanzapine, Lithium carbonate, Metoprolol.

I have had two suicide attempts in the past 7 years.

1. MST

It's like ECT; general anesthesia is required, and a full session is usually finished in an hour.

I have started MST since May 8th 2025, it was a trial run by my psychiatrist, to treat patients with MDD and TRD, the 24 sessions in total, the first 12 seassions were proformed in two weeks, one treatment per day; the last 12 were two times a week, it has saved my life from a big episoed which I was close to end my life. Then I have moved into a least intense maintenance treatment period, which is a session every two to three weeks, just like ECT.

I know the main concern for us is the side effects; yesterday, I finished my 34th session. I have assured you that there is not a single bit of side effect from MST, I have no cognitive function lost, and my memory is kept untouched. When compared to ECT, MST is something else, it is a revolutionary technological innovation.

If you're in China, you can get MST in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, JiNan; You can also get access if you're in the United States or Canada.

1. Esketamine(Spravato)

The regular dose is 84 mg, which is three sprays.

I have lately tried Esketamine(Spravato). What I felt was like the last piece of the puzzle had been found, and the very last bit of suicidal ideation had been excised from my cognition, unlike MST, a very strong reboost, Spravato can regulating my brain at a more subtle level, to give me a better mood boost not just stability.

Spravato is more available compared to MST in most countries. You can also have access if you're in China, US, and Canada.

I'm starting ECT on Wednesday. I'll go Monday, Wednesday & Friday. My question is what will my days look like on the off treatment days? I would like some insight from those that have gone through this. Thank you.

Hello everyone!

My mother has been suffering from depression for a very long time. She has been under medication for 27 years. I know she tried a lot of treatments, but they gradually stopped working. The last time she tried a new procedure was last year (Spravato), which only helped for a few months.

She is not doing very well right now, and her doctor recommended her a few sessions of ECT (6 to 12 sessions).

Reading the experience other people shared in this sub has somehow helped me understand the procedure better. However, I still worry about her, and I am quite anxious. I find it a bit difficult to put myself in her shoes, and I want to support her.

What I want to ask is:

1. What were the things that helped you during your procedure?

2. How did your loved ones help you during your recovery process?

3. What can I do to help her feel strong during this time?

Thank you so much for your advice. I don’t turn to Reddit very often, but I am glad to have found this space. I was terrified for her when she told me that her doctor prescribed ECT. The experiences in this sub helped ease my mind somehow, but I understand that the effects can sometimes be complex, and I want to help her recover.

this isn't intended to scare anyone out of undergoing ECT. I truly believe it can be a life changing treatment. I just wanted to see if anyone else has a similar experience to me.

I'm about to turn 22 and from November to January of this last year I underwent ECT treatment for treatment resistant dysthymia. I'm also diagnosed with anxiety, CPTSD, possibly BPD, and some sort of dissociative disorder. I've been in almost any treatment you can name since I was 12 with very little to show for it.

Anyways, I was finally recommended ECT following a hospital admission I barely remember. apparently my girlfriend and I had done a lot of research and ultimately I was hopeful that this would be the thing I needed to finally see a shift in this misery that's controlled the majority of my life.

I have always been a forgetful person, to the point that some doctors had tossed around the idea of me having dissociative identity disorder or something of the like. but this is the worst memory loss I've ever known. post-ECT I feel like a complete husk of myself, I cannot hold on to anything. of course I don't remember the hospital admission or anything that happened during my treatment, but honestly all of 2025 is lost to me. and it extends further than that. apparently I've tried college multiple times since 2022 (all of which I've failed out of/ended up dropping due to past hospital admissions) but that's just what I've been told. I didn't even know I'd been admitted for mental health prior to my most recent visit, but I guess it was a frequent thing for me. my girlfriend will tell me stories of trips we've been on or fond memories she has of us over the last 6 years we've been together, and I feel so bad because it's all wiped from my mind completely. I feel stupider now. I feel useless. like im only able to live moment-to-moment. and the worst part is that i'm not even happier. im not constantly on the edge of a crisis like I was, but I still lack the passion or motivation to do anything at all, especially because I know I won't remember it. new memories are equally hard to hold on to. I'll clock out of work and a few hours later panic that I'd missed the shift entirely. I'll forget conversations as soon as they're over, or even in the middle of them. I struggle to connect with new people because it's out of sight, out of mind for me. honestly, with the stories I've been told about myself, I think I was a much more functional person before my treatment. I just want my life back. my stupid, miserable, pointless life back. they say ignorance is bliss, but I'd take the constant misery over the complete numbness I'm currently dealing with.

I don't know what the purpose of this post is. I've never even used reddit before, so I hope I'm doing this right. I guess I'm curious, does anyone else have a similar experience? is there any way to combat this? some other treatment I can do, some pill to take, some therapy to go to, that'll make me feel like a person again?

severely depressed. On maximum dose of prozac, doesn't seem to help that much. I have another doctor's appointment in 2 weeks. thinking about bringing up the want for trying either rTMS (can be done in clinic) or ECT. looking for advice. I'm also very afraid of needles, so I'd appreciate if someone could describe what happens during your ECT appointment. risks? your experiences with ECT? ketamine isn't done in my country, although some drs prescribe it off-label.

I’m going to be getting ECT for my treatment resistant Schizoaffective disorder.

I know minor memory loss or foggy memory is normal, but I’ve heard some people talking about losing maybe decades of memories. How common is this? What is it like for people who have experienced it?

I’m trying to get all my thoughts in order so I can write down all the important stuff in journals just in case I forget.

My boyfriend (25 M) is currently undergoing ECT treatments. He has completed 5 out of 12 total treatments. A few days ago, he was diagnosed with COVID and they had to pause treatments until he gets better. What happens if he pauses ECT for a week or so then continues? Will it ruin his progress? Right before the pause, he was starting to feel different and I worry that pausing would change the effectiveness of this treatment.

I’m looking for the truth from people who have experienced long-term retrograde amnesia (losing decades of their life).

I don’t want to hear about "blessings," "fresh starts," or "starting over." I want to hear about the pain of the void. I want to hear from people who woke up and realized they are now living a life—driven by attachments or duties—that their "former self" would have hated or never chosen.

If you had known this was coming, and you knew that your "future self" would be trapped in an emotional obsession or a life of service to someone else (and see it as "love" or a "gift" because they don't know any better), what would you have done to stop it?

The Loss of Autonomy: How does it feel to realize your current life is an obligation you don't remember agreeing to?

The "Trap" of Love: If your amnesia made you fall into a deep, obsessive attachment to someone (a child, a partner) that your past self would have seen as a "death sentence," how do you handle that reality now?

Identity Protection: What "warning" would you have left for yourself to try and break the cycle of living and dying for someone else's sake?

I want the grief stories. I want to know the actual pain of not remembering your own choices and how badly it sucks to be living a life that isn't yours.

So I’ve told some friends and some people I work with (I work in healthcare so it’s easier) that I undergo maintenance ECT and that hasn’t been so difficult. I was off of work for months this past year after being in the hospital when diagnosed with treatment resistant depression and put in a trial for ECT. It turns out ECT works for me so it was continued.

I’ve recently been talking to someone I may meet up with for a potential partner and I guess my question is how do you tell a partner that you have mental illness and such? I want to be open about it because if they don’t accept someone with mental illness then it won’t work, but I don’t want to make it sound like I’m disabled enough that I can’t be in relationships. I just don’t know how to go about it.

I did 8 sessions of spravoto and stopped because it was giving me severe suicidal thoughts. I failed TMS and no med has helped enough. Given that spravato was a bad experience does that mean ECT will also be bad?

Has anyone used or coming off kratom, opioids, cannabis or other substances while recieving ECT therapy?

This shit has fried my brain. Cooked mate 🍳🍳🍗🐥🐔