ECT for psychosis ? Can I still keep my personality ?

[FTWN 1235]

[AirMarshall]

If ECT could improve personalities... I've got a LONG list of people for mandatory treatment!

As you have discovered ECT is primarily used for treating severe or intractable depression. I have not seen any about using it for psychosis. If your suicidal ideation is brief and occasional, that would probably not meet the treatment criteria. ECT is not a lobotomy and does not result in the loss of personality. It is normallly done on an outpatient basis and they return home the same day. The main side effect is a loss of memory surrounding the actual time of the ECT procedure which generally clears fairly quickly.

Best, a.m.

[sdjeff]

ECT actually restored my personality, but there were some drawbacks. I had it for depression and psychosis. It's a drastic thing in my opinion but it undeniably helps. Very few pdocs do it anymore, but I'd search out one that bifrontal treatments instead of bilateral or unilateral.

[Thomas]

I had a total of 12 ECT sessions, all bilateral. They made me feel foggy the first day, then really good the second day then back to a deep depression on the third day. My pdoc (the one doing the ECTs) finally decided that I was one of those folks thet ECT doesn't really help and stopped the treatments. I've got to say that the ECTs affected my memory for far more than the period right around the ECTs; I have a lot of memory loss going back a few years, not everything, just selected memories. Everyone else that I know who got ECT had much better results. I guess it is just another of those YMMV situations.

Tommy