Shock therapy makes a quiet comeback

Electro-shock treatment is all fine and dandy as long as it's voluntary and not compulsory.

Reading 'the doctors don't really know why or how it works, but they do it anyways' means to me they have no business forcing patients to get this sort of treatment without their consent.

If someone WANTS to run electric current through their brain, well, that's their option. But it should be patently illegal to force anyone into it.

Electroshock therapy ruined my father's life. The "doctors" guaranteed he wouldn't feel suicidal anymore. He lost all short term memory, could never keep a straight thought and forgot early memories of his 20 year marriage and my childhood. He was always mathematically inclined and lost that too. When I asked him a month before he killed himself if he regretted going through the torture, he told me that it ruined his brain and changed who he was in a worse way. Testing this procedure on people again when all they want is relief from severe depression should be considered inhumane and the doctors should be liable for their actions. If you do further research on this process, you will find many people who have undergone the treatment kill themselves in the end because of the way they feel afterward along with their continuing depression. Please think twice if you listen to any doctor who tells you this is a magic cure. It is not. They don't know what they are doing, and they don't care about the effects it may have in the worst case scenario.

I am a nurse that has been in practice for 49 years and I worked in Mental Health and Mental Health
Institutions, I saw first hand electroshock treatment at Elgin State Hospital and the people receiving them where like zombies post treatment , they had not short term memory and had horrifying nightmares of the treatment. I also worked with Insulin Therapy and Water treatments and Hypothermic Treatments. I will never forget those patients and the fear and lack of results.

I don't like the oral meds that are given to some patients and I believe that there are not enough qualified psychiatrist to handle the patients . In our community there is one and he serves 4 counties

What we need is closer supervision of patients by their doctors so of course we need more physicians in the field. Please do not bring back Electoshock

This treatment should be absolutely banned. Its not a treatment at all. The medical community did this "treatment" to my sister. She is ahigh functioning mentally disabled woman but for years and years she had her own apartment, she was vibrant, happy, could talk with anyone, was very out going, sometimes she was "sad" a little. So a doctor insisted it would help her. After the "treatment" she couldn't function and nor do anything on her own. She could no longer feed herself, cook, do laundry, shower, she barely spoke- and only when you asked her a question and only with halted one word answers. She shuffled her feet when walking, she didn't smile or notice anything or anyone else, she stared off into space. She was completely messed up. The life inside of her was gone. Because she lost her ability to function and do everyday life. She lost her apartment and had no choice but to move into a group home with mentally disabled people and be taken care of for more than a year before she recovered. This "shock therapy" did not help her, she lost so much of her life. It was tramatic for her family and friends to watch this happen because a doctor wanted to experiment on her. Shock therapy should banned.

I have witnessed this treatment several times and though once very sceptical, I found the results to be quite astounding! I worked with an older gentlemen for months and his depression kept getting worse, even after three in-patient hospital admissions. He went to Seattle for ECT and the next time I happen to see him, I did NOT even recognise him.

This does not work for everyone and for those who show improvement, sometimes it is not lasting. Depression is a very serious disease and sometimes serious treatment needs to be considered for the well being of the patient.

I worked in an adult residential treatment center for dual diagnosis clients. I have seen ECT work when nothing else did, and not work on some of my clients. It was difficult to see my client in an almost Alzheimer's like fog for several days, and yet it worked for him when nothing else did. My other client did not respond to it well, and it changed nothing for him. I feel that ECT should only be used when nothing else has worked and the patient is potentially suicidal. However, it must always be the patient's decision and they must be informed of every potential side effect. It is not a magic cure! I am very sorry for Grieving Daughter. I have suffered from depression since I was a child, and I thank god everyday that the medication works for me. I only wish something had worked for her father.

I had the treatment over 17 years ago. It saved my life. I have not had any further bouts of depression and no long term memory issues. I am thankful I had that option. I do think that this should be a treatment of last resort though. There are many newer drugs out there today. None of them worked for me back then. I know many people may have claims of problems from the treatments, but I suggest they look for other issues causing them.

My husband suffered from depression for many years. When nothing worked, we accepted ECT as the only alternative. Each session was torture for my husband, but he grit his teeth and continued. After session # 9 he begged off and the doctor too decided to discontinue because he saw no results. It was continuous use of antidepressants, alternative therapies, including psychotherapy, and prayer that he began to show signs of recovery. He still uses medication and alternative therapies to help him stay stable.

Immediate family member had this therapy, many times. The member committed suicide. It did not help and the member said they could not function mentally (engineer) or do calculations correctly after the treatments. He said it skewed his thinking, and worst of all did not help with his depression.

No doubt, it affected his brain. HE WAS IN WORSE SHAPE, AS HE WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL THE ECT DID TO HIS BRAIN!

This is "dark ages" medicine people. Find a counselor who will LISTEN to you. Tell that couselor about your childhood and life. A good one will listen, and help you sort through problems. Get off the medications/drugs which only make you more crazy, and haze over the true issues. This is sick!

Of course doctors prefer pills to talk therapy - it is an easy fix for them. In the mid-50's my sister voluntary signed herself into a state hospital, where she stayed for six long months. Yes, "Cookoo's Nest" was ever present with the patients there. She received more than a dozen shock treatments as well as insulin treatment. To this day, she is not the same person. She is nervous, fearful, high-wired, forgetful - and please, do not mention shock therapy to her. It is a real no-no. Every time I would visit her at that hospital, I would go home crying my eyes out because of what I had seen there.

Doctors may be bringing back ECT "quietly" but that's because they wouldn't want it done to them. How much can you perfect a procedure when it does permanent damage to the brain? It makes me physically ill to know that this method is still in use.

I have two children diagnosed with BiPolar. Both were prescribed med's. One also tried ECT. The one not using ECT was horribly effected by Med's - The BPD wasn't nearly as incapacitating as the Med's!! The other who tried ECT said " I have never felt more normal". But the ECT was costly and it would have only been affordable if the positive effect would last 6 months or more. The positive effects seemed to last at most 1 mo. I understand that some get near permanent relief from ECT. Don't ban it - I'd ban the damn drugs first!!! Yes there was a negative effect of ECT - a day or so of memory problems after treatment. Now both of my affected children are avoiding med's and one suffers from the BPD symptoms more the the ECT treated- but unless she suffers way worse in the future she is going to live with it. I doubt that the difference between them is ECT but it may be possible. There is also a new treatment that may be better using Magnetic fields - which may be the real treatment in ECT anyway (current creates the magnetic fields....)

While I feel deep compassion for the others who have shared their negative experiences with ECT, I feel compelled to share a very positive experience with ECT. My brother suffered from a psychological disorder in which medications could not help him. He was unable to eat, drink or sleep for a period of months. He was near death and this unexplained illness was compounded by his being developmentally delayed, thus creating a legal nightmare in helping him receive treatment.
Our family shared the same ideas as many who have posted about ECT...the images of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". When our team of doctors first suggested ECT, we were opposed, but as the months dragged on and the myriad of psychiatric medications failed to provide any relief (many made him worse), we resigned ourselves to ECT as a "last ditch effort". Our doctors carefully explained the procedure, provided us videos and web links for self education and made themselves available for questions at any time. They also carefully explained the side effects and promised no guarantees. It's not entirely correct that they don't understand how it works, as the electrical stimulus causes the brain to release a large quantity of neurotransmitters into the brain. It is from this point on, that the true effects seem to be rather puzzling.
In our state, ECT cannot be forced onto a patient by his/her family, but we were in a position where he would face certain death without treatment. As he was incapacitated, he was unable to give his own consent and we were unable to give consent, as the laws in our state carefully protect individuals from receiving psychiatric care without their consent. After a series of appeals to the courts, the medical director of the hospital and even with the help of our US Senator, we finally began the ECT. This treatment literally saved his life. As others have shared, he did experience some short term memory loss, which has completely resolved itself. While I would not recommend ECT as a casual treatment or a "quick fix", it can literally save lives when medication does not help. I have my brother back thanks to this treatment and the excellent team of doctors who have worked with us over the last year. As with any medical treatment, individuals should research their treatment options thoroughly before agreeing to any procedure and not draw their conclusions from one individual magazine article.

My mother had shock treatment for depression which 18 months later contributed to her having a massive stroke that left her paralyzed at age 48. She required nursing home around the clock treatment for the next 28 years. I rate ECT as being little better than barbaric and no more justifiable than lobotomies were during the 1920s.

Caveat emptor!

You have got to be kidding me. This story has actually made me feel ill. Whatever happened to old fashioned therapy like talking or giving someone a flippin hug!!!

I really feel for the people who were under the "Doctors" (aka money puppets) orders that this will make everything better. Last time I checked when people got struck by lighting or stuck their fingers in outlets it did more damage then anything else.

I really think that saying "Shock therapy makes quite a comeback" is the dumbest thing I ever heard. I wonder who paid to have this story printed (cough) Eli Lilly (cough)... next they are going to try passing bills that say ALL NEW MOTHERS ARE TO HAVE A MANDATORY SCREENING FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION... oh wait.... com'on people!!!

stupid psychs...

ECT is a brutul, archaic, and ridiculous form of treatment. As a professional in the mental health field, I have NEVER seen positive results from ECT. I have instead seen that some patients believe they make improvements from the strangest things. For example, some patients truly believe in handling their emotions through sadism such as cutting themselves ("cutters") as a means to release pent up emotion. It is my personal belief that the same "philosophy" is what justifies the use of ECT... the same sadistic rationale employed by cutters is that which is employed by advocates of ECT. Putting thousands of volts of electricity into the human body is completely unnatural and unhealthy. The therapeutic value in such cannot be empirically proven to any degree other than the arbitrary opinion of a small percentage who claim improvements in their conditions. But cutters make the same claims. If somebody has an empirical study that we may view...please enlighten us all. Otherwise, please pass the word: ECT is DANGEROUS!

I received a series of EST at age 25 in the late 60's following a marriage breakup that was absolutely devastating. Although I believe EST had long term negative effects, soon after the treatment, I felt more able to return to work, made several life changing decisions, and in several months began my college career. I completed 4 years of college in 2 1/2 years and went on to complete an MA, remarry and thereafter I have remained employed. I had a recurrence of severe depression and feelings of despair in the early 80's which almost ended my second marriage but through the inner strength of faith in God, prayer, and rational thinking I was able to move on.

At age 30 I had a significant spiritual experience that was quite helpful to me in moving beyond a sense of failure, feelings of grief and loss, depression and a lack of connection with others. After the divorce I had begun a pattern of drinking 2-3 drinks per day which served not so much to provide pleasure and sociability but to soothe and medicate. After receiving prayer with the laying on of hands and an "infilling of the Spirit of God" I stopped drinking, found a good job, and married.

The long term impact of the EST was a feeling of dullness, a lack of zest for life, and most importantly an inability to verbally express myself. I was morose, unable to freely enjoy communication with others, and I had trouble for many years retrieving words, ideas, memories, etc.. Without a doubt this negatively impacted my career and I am sure that I missed advancements because of it. I believe that there was brain damage that set me on a course that only time and new positive life experiences could heal. The EST caused a pronounced spiritual darkness to come upon me and I felt as if I was in a kind of spiritual prison even though I was functioning in a responsible manner.

I am now in my 60's and in the last 5 years I believe I have made the most progress of my entire life to escape the after effects of the EST and subsequent spiritual darkness. I can honestly say that I am happy and am enjoying life more than in any period of my life since the EST treatments. I have full cognitive functioning with adequate memory, spiritual health, social competence, employment satisfaction, and freedom of expression.

Looking back, I can say that EST got me off my duff and had what seemed like a good short term effect but it was quite a severe price to pay in the long term! I became someone that I was not over a period of years. Almost losing myself to a dark entity so to speak. It has been a lifetime of "getting over it" - the effects lingered on over the decades. I definitely would not recommend it. I think spiritual counsel/healing would be the way to go for anyone contemplating this kind of treatment for depression and emotional disturbances.

I had previously worked on a psychiatric unit in a local hospital that did use ECT. The treatment is voluntary and each individual signed a consent. I've seen a mix of results. The majority of the patients I dealt with did see results, some as early as the second time they received the treatment. This can be an amazing treatment for some individuals. It is not done in a cruel or inhumane manner. The patient is under anesthesia during the procedure. I did witness some not so positive results. I was always sceptical of ECT when it came to the geriatric population. In some cases it did work, but I can remember a specific case where the patient eventually went "down hill." Medicine and counseling don't solve all issues. Just as ECT will not solve all issues. Anyone who is considering this treatment should definitely weigh the pros and cons. Short term memory loss is common during the treatment. In some cases, memory doesn't return. This treatment would be worth trying when nothing else has worked. But as in everything in life, there are no guarantees!

You're wrong, I hate you. Because I hate you, that's why. I won't get into details but you are wrong in every respect and every particular since you are wrong in who you are. I can't agree with you, but you must comply. And when you comply put a smile on, because since I hate you I demand love in return. This won't make you right in any sense but the least you can do is obey.

Let's bring back the use of cattle prods on mentally ill patients. Most people do not realize that it was very effective in controlling mentally ill patients in the 1930s.

My mother underwent electroshock therapy in the 1960s, and it took years for her to recover even a small part of her memory. This is lazy medicine.

As with all medical treatment not every procedure works the same for every patient. I also think it depends on the person performing the procedure. Just because there is an MD behind a name doesn't always mean you are the best in the field, I am sure there are Drs out there performing this procedure that do not know what they are doing. There are so many factors as to who this can help. In this day and age no one is forced to have any procedure performed on them without prior medical consent. I do believe that ECT saved my husbands life. At the time it was either that or he would of ended up committing suicide. It was our last resort. There were side affects. There is the short term memory loss,which was much worse right after treatment but improved over time. There are the things that we have done and have happened in our life together that he has no memory of. Weighing this against not having him around at all there is no question that we would do it again if needed. Shortly after his treatments the food and drug administration approved a new procedure called Vegal Nerve Stimulation (VNS therepy) He had a small devise implanted in his chest the size of a pacemaker that has wires that lead to the vegal nerve in his neck. This stimulates his vegal nerve for 5 seconds every 5 minutes. It has the same effect on a low dose that ECT gives in large doses. When the vegal nerve is stimulated it causes you to produce dopamine, which depressed people are low on. He has had this for 2 years now and is doing great. He has a low day here and there but nothing like he used to. He has been able to cut back on some meds. The ECT was necessary at the time, but this VNS thereapy has been a great alternative to the ECT.

Mental health care in this country is still pathetic. I was on anti-depressant medications for 24 years, and none of them ever helped me for more than a few months, or a year, at the most. I went through every medication available, and when they stopped working, I would become critically depressed. I often felt it would be a relief to die, just to escape the pain and suffering of depression. All during these 24 years, I was always under a licensed psychiatrist's care. I ended up in the Behavioral Unit of the local hospital in 2003, because I flipped out, where I stayed for 5 days, and then was put out on the street because my insurance didn't cover a longer stay. This may make me sound like a "crazy" person but, believe me, to meet me, you would not have known I had these problems, as I was usually functioning very well in the "real" world, but I was suffering terribly inside. I did go through a period of time where I couldn't hold a job for very long because of my severe depression. I also had years of conseling and psychotherapy, where I willingly "unloaded" every "issue" I thought might be contributing to my depression. Bottom line, the doctors were pushing ECT on me big-time, but I was afraid it. Finally, after many, many years of constant prayer to be healed, I weaned myself off of all medications, for the first time in 24 years. While I may not feel "happy" (whatever that means), I definitely feel more in control and less "crazy" off the meds than on. Take from my story what you will, but this is what worked for me. And, bottom line, ECT is too big of a risk, and not a permanent fix, so don't let the docs experiment with your precious brain, because there's no turning back once the damage is done. God bless.

Reading this story made me literally sick to my stomach. I had shock therapy in the mid seventies. I was 15 years old!!!!! The only thing I was doing wrong was "being a rebellious teenager." I don't remember being depressed. My mom took me to a psychiatrist, he hospitalized my behind locked doors and I was given shock treatments!!! It is a horrible memory for me that I will NEVER forget.

I was a new nurse who participated in shock therapy in 1978, 1979. My hospital received $1500 for a series of 3-6 "treatments" from the state of Illinois public aid department for people diagnosed with depression. The anesthesiologist was paid $50 a jolt. He made sure he was paid separately. It was a money maker for hospitals. It was a quick fix to get patients out of more expensive hospital treatment. Patients become more easily opened to suggestion. Thank god slavery was outlawed before the invention of shock "therapy". My sister received shock treatments that deprived her of the ability to tie her own shoe laces for a year.She received a diagnosis of depression after she was unable to work two jobs to support her lazy husband. Husband had her court ordered to get this done - it was against her will. All her symptoms pointed to multiple sclerosis which runs in my family. MS symptoms mimic depression symptoms. Treatment for depression can kill a person with MS. My sister was unable to get out of a wheelchair by the time she was forty. she died at 46. I have had the same symptoms that caused my sister to be diagnosed with depression. Treatment for ms has saved my life. Shock "therapy" would of killed it.

This treatment is incredibly stupid. It is unscientific and ignores easier, yet more regimented ways to deal with people's various psychological problems. Just like pills (which this country more than any other is addicted to because it is quick and simple) it is NOT a treatment for the cause, just the effects.

When will we be smart enough to realize the old saying, "You are what you eat" is indeed very true? When will the people in these various institutions get a holistic approach to their problems and stop being treated like cattle? (I take that back, actually cattle in Japan, i.e. Kobe and here in the US at several organic farms ARE treated better than humans due to their balanced nutritional diets).

I have never been a part of a public blog about this, but I have seen the effects of this torturous and inhumane treatment and I say the very psychiatrists that are ordering this be the first to be the ones to try it themselves. How many volunteers would we have then? It is funny that even police officers in this country cannot use a Tazer gun unless being certified, and with that comes a required "tazing" of themselves first.

The solution: Examine what works in different parts of the world, in particular Scandinavia and the European Union. Obviously with the high levels of depression and obesity we suffer from in this country we are NOT doing the right thing to PREVENT these issues in the first place.

Absolutely I am glad I went through ECT. I went through 12 shock treatments for a severe depression around 2000 or 2001. While I hope and pray I never have to do this again, it relieved the worst of my depression. I remained on antidepressants for a number of years after that and today I am off of all antidepressants. That is something I NEVER thought would happen. The major side effect I experienced was memory loss...I pretty much lost that entire year. That was difficult because I felt like I lost a year of my children's lives... but in exchange for being depression free... worth the price. My brother has had about 100 ECT treatments and it has not been effective for him... it has kept him alive... but certainly he has had other factors and different diagnosis coming in to play. I think his doctors (in a different city) did way too many before my brother finally said enough is enough. It is different for everyone and I am thankful I did it. However it is and would be hard for me to encourage anyone else to do it... because as a medical professional I have seen more people not respond as well. Difficult issue at best. Banning ECT would be a very sad day for those that it help. I was one of those. I would not be alive were it not for the ECT.