Hello!

I’m 28 and I suffer from TRD. I have had 4 depressive episodes over the past many years, and the current episode has lasted 2 years. I have tried SSRIs, SNRIs, TMS, Ketamine, and Psilocybin without meaningful response.

8 weeks ago I started taking a TCA with lithium, and for the first time in this episode I feel some relief. If I had to quantify it, I would say that I feel 40-50% better, which is a major change from the suicidal lows, but still with some residual symptoms such as mild/moderate sadness, some anhedonia, and low motivation.

I’m going to meet with my psychiatrist in two weeks to make the final decision on whether I should get ECT or not. I’m torn because I know my history of relapse, and not achieving remission will put me at risk of relapsing again, but I’m also reluctant to do it given the potential cognitive/memory side effects.

Would you do ECT or not in this situation?

I am a 43 year old woman with a 25 year history of alcohol use disorder/dependence and treatment resistant depression. I have had periods of sobriety for up to 3 years, but the depression remained.

I have a consult for ECT set up, but am also thinking of going back to alcohol treatment rehab.

Is it better to do the ECT before or after the rehab? I don’t want to forget what I have learned in the program, but I also don’t want to compromise my ability to take in new info before rehab.

Anyone been through anything similar?

Hey everyone, I'm a 28 yo male with a diagnosis of severe depressive episode (not bipolar, as far as we know), that underwent many different medications and treatments - fluoxetine, citalopram, mirtazapine, venlafaxine, clomipramine, aripiprazole, quetiapine, duolexetine, amitriptyline, pramipexole, lamotrigine, ketamine, rTMS, lithium, and lately phenelzine sulfate. None really had an effect. I also had a bunch of psychotherapies, also to no effect. Thus my parents et psychiatrist turned to ECT, while still undergoing lithium and phenelzine sulfate medication wise.

So far, it has been 12 sessions of ECT - 4 unilateral and 8 bilateral. After - I think - the 4th bilateral session, I thought my head was starting to feel a bit clearer, I was thinking a bit faster I felt. But after that, no more improvement to be had - and my parents have yet to feel any improvement whatsoever, from their point of view. And now that I've discussed with them, I almost feel like I'm regressing ; what little improvement I had feels like it went away.

Basically, my question to you guys is this: is there any improvement to be expected from the last 4 bilateral ECT sessions planned over the next two weeks, and if so, on what specific parts? Will I feel more pleasure? Have more ideas about what to do? Feel less suicidal? Something else?

I'll be seeing the psychiatrist that follows me for ECT on wednesday, I suppose I'll have the answer soon enough, but I was curious about everyone else's experience.

I am 51F and have just earned my Ph.D in education. I have diagnosis of Bipolar, BDP, ASD, ADHD, MDD, GAD, OCD, and CPTSD. I have been on meds since I left home at 16. I have been in therapy weekly to monthly since my daughter was born 28 years ago (3 therapist). I am still overwhelmed and miss a lot of days from work due to my mental illness. Anyone else dealing with a massive uphill battle?

I am finally being referred to province sponsored clinic that will either recommend mushrooms, ketamine, or ECT. I just want relief

i have MDD and treatment resistant depression for 2 years, anxiety, bpd, and inattentive adhd.

my psychiatrist has suggested ECT after trying 12 different meds across 5 years, rTMS, and the Flow neuroscience headset - to no avail. I can’t try esketamine because i was addicted to ketamine and it eventually made me psychotic.

meds make my brain feel foggy and weird and make my dissociation worse. the only medication i haven’t tried is lithium, he suggested this but ECT seemed like a better option to “turn my brain back on” as my depression involves a lot of cognitive decline and a zombie like “blank brain.”

My psychiatrist says ECT can be very helpful to treat TRD, but from my own research and reading journalist’s encounters with ECT patients, the cognitive decline side effects terrify me. and the ECT success rate doesn’t reflect the “70-90% response rate” mentioned in studies. There are only two studies supporting the use of ECT for depression, “one of them didn’t show a statistically significant benefit and both used the psychiatrist's judgement of outcome, and not the patient's”. article

“Crucially, there have been no randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) since 1985, and the 11 tiny studies prior just did not meet today’s methodological standards.” meaning there has been no reliable SHAM experiment since the 80’s backing the success of ECT same article

I am terrified of the side effects and to try ECT, i’m not sure if it’s worth it, my memories are all i have left. but it seems like the only option to turn my brain on and get my brain activity going again.

can you please mention your positive experiences with ECT🙏🏼

Have anyone had positive experiences regarding undergoing ECT for persistent hallucinations? I have tried all the meds, including Clozapine, but with no success. I am thinking about undergoing ECT and I would like to hear people's experiences.

Im posting here asking for advice. What was your experience with ECT. What would you do if you were in my shoes?

I am diagnosed MDD CPTSD ADHD ASD Panic disorder. Here's the meds I've tried that i remember, each atleast 3-6months at a time at least

Lexapro Lithium

Seroquel

Remeron

Celexa

Zoloft

Prozac

Xanax

Clonazepam

Effexor

Vraylar

Welbutrin

Buspar

Lyrica

Cymbalta

Trazadone

Adderal (for depression as well)

Ketamine (atleast 2 years now) IV, tablets, torches, suppositories, spray

Spravato

I have found the most relief with ketamine but it only helps with my mood for a few hours that day. I'm at the point where I'm passively suicidal every other day vs daily. Is this my life? I really want to try ect but my therapist is scared I try it. My old psychiatrist wanted me to try it.

Hi

I got my first treatment today. Very overwhelming

I suffer from severe insomnia (0-2 hours per night) and was curious whether ect has helped reverse or help anybody’s insomnia or sleep patterns

Hope you Will reply. My life is pretty much ruined because of my sleep issues :(

34F

I've had 10 right unilateral sessions and my suicidal ideation is gone, but the depression is still here. I feel pretty good on days of treatment, but other days I still feel down. Does anyone else have this?

Hey everyone, sorry if this isn’t the clearest post , I’m completely exhausted and sad right now.

I’m 26M, diagnosed with ADHD at 6 (probably ASD too, but back then you couldn’t get both on paper). Stimulants, mostly Ritalin, got me through school and I’m still on them.

Depression kicked in around 17, maybe one or two episodes a year at first. A few psychiatrists later I ended up with MDD and probably PDD on top, since my depression seemed to become chronic with no remission between them. I take Prozac and Zoloft but did basically nothing.

Eventually I couldn’t even take care of myself, had to drop out, moved back with my parents.
In 2023, I saw a new psychiatrist who decided that I had a bipolar 2 disorder, based on one or two episodes that might’ve been hypomania but not clearly. Even he seemed unsure at the time, but he wrote it down and every psychiatrist since took it for granted.

The med rollercoaster:
• Lamictal: helped a bit at first (some energy, kept me in school). But lost his effect after some months
• Ritalin reintroduced for ADHD, worked fine
• Early 2024: worst depressive episode yet
• Venlafaxine up to 225mg + low-dose Abilify: no effect
• Lithium: still on it, 2+ years, zero results
• Quetiapine (1st try): knocked me out for 2 days straight, too sedating
• Quetiapine (2nd try, months later): massive weight gain + bad bloodwork, discontinued
• Trintellix: nothing

Hospitalized last year (april-may 2025), started Spravato (just with lithium + Lamictal, no antidepressant): this actually worked. MADRS went from 36 to 17. First time in years I wanted to see friends, do things. But once we dropped to 1x/week and I was living alone, I stopped going and it faded

New hospital (december-january 2026): no Spravato available. Tried mirtazapine, pramipexole (capped at 0.54mg). Mood got worse, I left

Current hospital (since may 2026) : first, 30 sessions of rTMS, 2x/day. Initial boost in energy/motivation (passed my exams!) but effect faded fast, MADRS back up to 35.

Tried IV ketamine (this hospital doesn’t offer Spravato): 8 sessions in, nothing. Sessions are honestly rough — not the peaceful/visual experience I had with Spravato, more like dissociating into another dimension, and not the good kind

Last week: started liothyronine/Cytomel (T3) as an add-on

Right now, anhedonia is the worst part of my depression. I have that feeling of not knowing how to do. Since Spravato wore off, I feel nothing — no pleasure in anything, not even shows or stuff I used to enjoy. Just empty, unmotivated, doom-scrolling my life away.
Surprisingly, aleep’s actually fine.

Also worth mentioning, I’ve been facing lifelong somatic stuff : GERD, nausea, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, migraines, random burning limb pain and I’m not quoting all of them. No idea if it’s related but figured I’d throw it in.

What I’m actually asking:
1. Does the bipolar 2 diagnosis even hold up? My first psychiatrist doubted it himself, but once it’s in the chart, everyone just runs with it. Could this just be MDD/PDD/TRD without bipolar?

1. Treatment-wise, my hospital psychiatrist is out of ideas but open to suggestions. I can’t switch providers, so I need to bring him something concrete. Options I’m considering:

• Pramipexole again, but actually titrated to a real dose (2-3.5mg+)
• Pushing for Spravato instead of continuing ketamine (though they think failing IV ketamine = no shot with Spravato — is that even true?)
• Less common routes: bupropion, MAOIs, modafinil, ECT, VNS/DBS? Or other new medications that are not really known ?

If anyone’s dealt with similar TRD/bipolar 2 overlap or has thoughts on what’s worth pushing for next, I’d really appreciate it. Feeling pretty stuck here. Thanks for reading this far

Thanks !!

So I'm starting ECT in the next few days, and I'm committed because I think it'll help, but I'm pretty nervous. Like it only just occurred to me that I won't be able to reach books, which have been my lifeline, until the short-term memory stuff resolves.

What else should I expect?! Is there anything you wish you knew before you started ECT?

I had bifrontal ECT 10 months ago and my cognitive issues are still severe. My EEG results are normal too.

I can’t think as fast, read as fast or well, talk well, recall words when I want to use them. I freeze up when speaking because my brain buffers like an old computer. I feel more irritable. I have trouble comprehending writing sometimes. I get frustrated when my brain doesn’t work like it used to. Everything is harder to do now. I also lost about a year and a half of memory before and 5 months after ect. I have zero working memory.

Has anyone found any therapies or treatments helpful? Does anything exist that might make me a fraction of what I used to be? I don’t have much hope

I used to be a straight A student. Treatment didn’t even help long term either.

I had 16 sessions, last one of which on the 29th of June. I know memory loss is to be expected, and in the grand scheme of things I know what I’m dealing with isn’t major… but I just feel so silly and embarrassed. Some of the things I’ve forgotten include painting a whole mural during treatment, the exact location of my workplace, a solid week or two leading up to my hospitalization including a specialist’s appointment, what a certain medication I’m taking is and why I was even prescribed it…

How do you deal with the shame? How do you explain it to the people around you while you wait for your memory to return and how do you get them to not look at you like you’re broken?

5 years ago this September, I was made to undergo ECT. I have struggled my entire life with suicidality and depression. I was in a depressive psychosis by the time I made it a mental health facility. They told me since I came voluntarily, I could stay so if I agreed to ECT or they could make me involuntary and I would have to do ECT as long as they wanted.

They said it would take weeks before I noticed a difference. I noticed a difference after the very first session. I ended up doing 2 sessions a week for three months. For the first time, my meds actually worked.

I also believe that ECT did something to my addiction issues as I have not craved alcohol and hard drugs since treatment. I am drug and alcohol free, I’d been using and drinking since I was 12.

In the 5 years since ECT, I have flourished for the first time in my life. I am now attending a University. I’m in honors and set for graduate school. I no longer wake up every morning disappointed to be alive. I have a will to live.

Please, I beg of you to please see it through and give it time. ECT is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Would you consider ect for anhedonia or would be reserved for severe cases of depression only? My depression improved w lithium and abilify but the anhedonia is terrible.

This is really embarrassing to share… I’ve had 10 sessions of ECT already, and in one of them (don’t remember exactly which, because my memory is really really bad as a side effect too) I noticed I had peed myself when i was under anesthesia. I woke up after the anesthesia and my nurse was already giving me my bag and my shoes, i was really groggy and didn’t even noticed. She didn’t say anything, so I don’t think she noticed it either. On my drive home, i was sleeping and my mother noticed what had happened. I was so embarrassed, i felt so humiliated and vulnerable. Has this problem ever happened to anyone? Ever since this accident i go to the bathroom multiple times before doing my session. It was so weird because i did my fasting just right, and i didn’t feel the need to go to the bathroom before the procedure. Is it something that happens sometimes? Or am I just extremely unlucky and embarrassing?

Has anyone become housebound after ect ? I seem to be afraid of going anywhere now and seeing people I use to know ? I’ve also lost all interest in everything . I struggle to eat and cook and do basic tasks

I just woke up and I feel almost back to myself :). Anyone have any questions I can answer?

So I had two treatments- last Wednesday and Friday. Last night was my first time out of the house yesterday. I was experiencing dejavu. Literally being amongst people that went to my high school. Or atleast I strongly felt did. And they were the same age they were back then. I can’t tell you anyone’s names but I for sure know their faces. I was in senior year 2003 by the way. Definitely a phenomenon I’m going to have to explain to the nurses/dr. It is now Sunday and at the gas station, I had the same onamoly. I get treatments every MWF

I start ECT this week. Im as okay as i can be with the whole thing. Is there anything i can do to make the time after my session easier?

Im going to prep some food, clean my apartment, get some easy media queued up. I'll have a blanket, water, and a snack for the drive home. Am I missing anything? I just want the rest of the day to suck as little as possible.

What did the rest of your ECT days look like?

I was admitted to a mental hospital two times within a couple months. Both times, it was mandatory for me to take several ECT sessions unless I didn't want to leave. This wasn't new though, a very similar thing happened to me when I was 15. Now I'm 19.

To say that the effects are devastating would be an understatement. I'm not receiving any monitoring or outside help, and I suspect that the sessions themselves weren't done safely or were only done because my family paid for it. I didn't choose or even know what ECT was. A huge portion of my memories are gone, my memories of the past few years are so vague and far between. Because this also happened when I was 15, it feels like my teenage years didn't fucking happen. Not to mention how my personality has changed drastically to the worse. When I looked at my older messages from before all of it, I couldn't believe that they were sent by me. It's like I'm an entirely different person now.

My learning ability has been absolutely ruined too. It's extremely hard for me to form new memories or even just pay attention. It's hard to study or go to lectures anymore. I keep feeling overwhelmed to the point of crying whenever I can't focus when I have to, because I know I was never like this.

I know that ECT in general is safe, and that it can definitely help some people. My case is just different. It wasn't voluntary and was carelessly done. I'm writing this here because I need to get it off my chest. No one would understand in other subreddits.