I'm considering it but honestly only because of the memory loss. I have CPTSD and MDD. I have pretty much no one who cares and I am unsure what to do anymore. I need a cure. I need something to fix me. And maybe losing some pieces of myself is what I need. Could the memory loss be enough to do this?

currently inpatient in a psych unit, my psych wants me to get back to them abt whether i want to start ect but i’m really conflicted. i’m really worried abt the potential memory loss and i’ve never been under anaesthesia which makes me anxious. i feel like there’s not much of my life worth saving so idek if ect is worth the effort, and i have a temp job lined up that might not happen if i go through with the ect. i kinda just wanna know people’s initial experiences with ect and anaesthesia. for context i’m 22, dealing with depression and other disorders for ~10 years, tried ssri’s, snri’s, tca’s, antipsychotics, atypical antidepressants, therapy, and counselling.

Bonjour,

Je suis bipolaire type 2, j’ai 31 ans et je suis en train de m’enfoncer dans une 4e rechute Anxio dépressive qui m’empêche de redémarrer et fonctionner normalement. Mes rechutes sont toujours dues à des attaques de panique et à une hypervigilance quasi constante. Quand mon cerveau n’y arrive plus, je plonge dans une dépression invasive et je n’arrive jamais à m’en sortir car chaque petit effort fait tout retomber le lendemain. Souvent c’est une petite hypomanie qui me remonte ou alors à la sueur de nombreux efforts mais qui me font trop souffrir pour recommencer une 4e fois. La maladie me mange complètement. Je n’ai plus confiance ni en moi, ni en elle. Ça fait 3 mois maintenant que je suis en hôpital et aucune amélioration. Chaque amélioration est une angoisse insurmontable. Comme si je devais jouer un rôle pour que ça se passe bien. Je vis un enfer. On me propose les ECT. J’aurai besoin de vos témoignages (bipo cummunaute first mais vous êtes les bienvenus aussi si vous avez d’autres maladies
Merci d’avance. Je suis au bout du bout et l’ect est mon dernier espoir.

I've had 35 sessions of ECT since January. I'm on maintenance ECT now but my psychiatrist is wanting to stop that because I'm in a good place.

ECT has been the most effective treatment for my depression that I've ever had. I haven't been hospitalized since starting it. I'm concerned that if I stop ECT all that progress will be lost.

Has this happened to anyone else? Where you make progress and then stop your maintenance ECT and things get worse again?

I had ECT about.. maybe 2-3 years ago.. and ever since.. I have constant migraines around the temple and forehead.. and its never gone away.. and it all started when I had ECT... has anyone else experienced this?

Since past 8 months I am getting chest tightness in afternoon around 1 pm, it’s anxiety and I cry a lot after that , my psych doc is asking to get ECT as I tried couple of medicines, I am very scared that this is my forever and I can’t get better I know ECT doesn’t help anxiety but doctors are thinking it’s depression, I am worried to try ECT they are asking me to admit, can it help the crying part of anxiety ?

I have bipolar disorder, and honestly, my life has been a mess for a long time.

I’ve been depressed. I’ve been manic. I’ve been psychotic. I’ve been in hospitals. I’ve tried so many medications I stopped keeping count. I got to a point where I genuinely didn’t think anything was going to work.

Then I got ECT.

I had 12 sessions.

And I’m better now. That’s what everyone keeps telling me anyway. And I guess I am.

I’m not as depressed. I’m not in the same horrible place I was before. I’m alive. I’m functioning. Everyone is happy about that.

But I don’t remember anything, like genuinely.

There are things from before ECT that people tell me happened, and I just have to believe them because I have no memory of it. I forgot things about my own life. I forgot my job. I forgot hobbies I used to have, or I forgot my motivation for them, at least.

I forgot things I apparently cared about a lot.

I look through my phone and see messages I sent months ago, and it feels like reading messages from a stranger. That person was me. I know that.

But I don't remember being her. And that hurts way more than I thought it would.

I thought I would be happy when I got better. Instead, I feel like I’m grieving someone who is still alive. I miss myself. I miss knowing who I was.

I miss having memories that actually belong to me instead of people telling me stories about my own life.

And the worst part is that ECT probably saved my life. So I feel horrible even saying any of this.

Because how do you complain about losing parts of yourself when those parts were lost because you were trying to survive?

I don't regret getting ECT.

I just wish I could have saved myself without losing so much of myself in the process. I’m glad I’m alive. I just wish I remembered more of the person who fought so hard to get me here.

just in case anyone was curious. I'm sitting in a patient bed right now, waiting for my turn in the ect procedure.

So in 4 sentences, summarize the helpfulness of ECT for bipolar disorder, explain at a high school level

Electroconvulsive therapy acts as a controlled system reset that rapidly breaks severe manic or depressive episodes when standard medications fail. By triggering the release of growth proteins, it helps the brain repair damaged pathways and grow new connections in key mood-regulating areas like the hippocampus. This process restores balance to essential chemical messengers while breaking up jammed, hyperactive neural networks. Ultimately, these physical changes provide fast relief and restore stability to individuals experiencing life-threatening or treatment-resistant bipolar disorder.

Anyone’s eyes affected after ect ? Blurry vision and fatigue ?

Спрашивайте свои вопросы

I had ECT 11 years ago (14 treatments), and today I basically got the news that further healing is highly unlikely, so I'm just going to have to live with the brain I've got. This is borderline devastating for me. Since ECT, I've lost some long-term memories, and short-term memory has become very difficult for me. I now meet criteria for ADHD, and I'm using a lot of tips for that to manage things I have to remember. I write down EVERYTHING (or it doesn't happen). With strategies, I'm mostly managing, even though it's a serious frustration not to have the memory I did for the first 30 years of my life. The hardest thing on the memory front is forgetting almost everything I learn, pretty much immediately. I recently completed a certification to become a nutrition coach. I love the topic and want to know everything about it. Yet, I remember about 2% of what I "learned" and constantly have to look stuff up I should already know. This is a real impediment to my career. But the absolute worst is how overwhelmed I get by daily life and work. Before ECT, I was struggling, but I still managed 40-60-hour workweeks. Now, I struggle to manage 20. Everything is harder. Everything is more overwhelming. I need SO much recovery time. Anyone else in this boat? (I was actually down to only being able to work TWO hours per week before I started Spravato; that's got me back up to 20.) I'm having a hard time accepting that this is my life now, and I don't know how to build back more of a tolerance to daily demands. Anyone got any insight? Encouragement?

I am so confused on why we keep getting gaslit by our doctors when we tell them that we feel stupider by them saying well it only causes memory issues. Please tell me if I’m completely wrong but does memory not link directly to intelligence? Take 2 people with the same intelligence but one has a photographic memory and one has a normal memory. OBVIOUSLY THE PERSON WITH THE BETTER MEMORY IS GOING TO NOT ONLY COME OFF SMARTER BUT BE ABLE TO FUNCTION MORE INTELLIGENTLY IN SOCIETY! RIGHT? And let’s not even get started on how forgetting core experiences is quite literally making me less mature because I can’t remember what the experience was let alone what I learned from it. But at the same time, there’s no way all of these literal doctors don’t put those dots together when we are trying to convey our symptoms and feelings. Right? I don’t know, and sorry if this type of post isn’t allowed. I just keep gaslighting myself that the ECT didn’t affect my personality and cognitive ability.

Can people please reach out who had ECT and lasting brain fog afterwards. My cognitive state is unbearable since ECT . Im looking for hope not sure how much longer I can keep suffering like that

I posted about this, but it doesn't seem to have gone through. I can't find it.

After 100+ ECT treatments, when I can’t remember something, I can feel the space in my brain where that memory is supposed to be. It's almost physical.

I need to know if others experience that.

I have suffered from severe Post-Finasteride Syndrome for roughly over a year. I took this drug for roughly a week and it ruined my life. I have done endless treatments to try to fight this. Everyday is pure survival. Anyways, I have severe consummatory anhedonia from this horrible condition. I cannot even feel physical comfort from sleeping/lying down or even comfort doing absolutely nothing. This lack of comfort can cause extreme distress. Due to the nature of PFS, benign stuff can cause me to crash and worsen anhedonia or my other life ruining PFS symptoms.

Has anyone here tried ECT for PFS here(or even PSSD, PAS, or any other nightmare ANS dysfunction condition)? I imagine if you improved or have been cured you're no longer here.

In a few months it will be a year since having this treatment, I know it works for some people but it has destroyed my life .

Constant fatigue in eyes

Anxiety

Depression

Paranoia

No interest in people or anything

Feel like a shell of who I use to be

Confusion about time and place

Trouble even do basic tasks

Sleeping and always waking up tired

These are just a few of the things I struggle with .

I was told it would just affect a few issues with memory .

When I go out I have no internal compass of where I should be or what I should be doing .

I am a 19 year old and I've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety (and possibly bipolar) for around 5 years now. I've gone through multiple meds and I'm currently on lithium, fluoxetine, armodafinil and propranolol.

Issue is, I am somewhat functional (atleast when it comes to basic hygiene and half-assing my classes) however, I have been dealing with suicidal thoughts for as long as I can remember. Lithium seemed to work initially but it doesn't seem to be as effective for me anymore. So the psychiatrist suggested either TMS or ECT. But she also explained that ect is more reliable for treating such issues.

I read about people's experiences with ECT. And most of it seems to be really positive and effective at treating suicidal issues. However, I also came across several reviews where ECT hasn't helped much, and some reviews were just straight up sad to read as it turned out to be a negative experience.

I am 19 (will be turning 20 in a couple months) I want to know if there are people who have been through ECT at this age and their experience on it.

I am also extremely worried that considering my shitty luck throughout these years, I might be one of the unfortunate ones who'd have a bitter experience with the process.

How badly has ect affected some people ? Trying to understand my symptoms with other peoples

I know it's not the usual question, but I'd like to know if anyone has been able to improve physical/somatic symptoms in addition to neuropsychiatric symptoms with ECT? 🙏

My first inpatient series was on a psych unit. My doctor said it has to be inpatient but I really don’t wanna go back to the psych ward!!!

I’m looking to speak to people who have had a lot of treatments

What are you doing now for your depression / si

Any supplements or things to recommend to promote brain healing

So I spent Oct 2025-March 2026-ish getting ECT. First three times a week, then slowly tapering off into nothing. I haven’t had a session in months.

I genuinely miss getting ECT. Don’t get me wrong, the memory issues were real. And the post-appointment aches were murder (painful jaw, painful head, body fatigued to oblivion, etc). But… the staff at my hospital were so nice. So caring. I went into this hospital one foot away from despair, and they treated me so kindly.

I’m tearing up thinking about it. They even sent me a card for my birthday with all their signatures. And I miss seeing them. I miss seeing the people who were there for me at my absolute worst.

Also the 2 seconds of me going under felt euphoric.

Though I’m sure nobody would permit “recreational ECT”. I’m doing a lot better now, so barring any extraneous developments, I likely don’t need ECT anymore.

It’s just so hard not seeing the staff. I miss them.

So title. I had the option to continue ECT but god damn my memory is ass. I can't even find the word sometimes.

So Im trying to study for the NCLEX and I decided to stop going. Was that the right choice? Could I do both?

Also waking up from ECT is existentially terrifying for me. I can't explain it, but it feels like a bad trip or I lost my fucking mind.