Would you get electroconvulsive therapy (electric shock to the brain) if you were severely depressed?

[aidanjm]

it has a bad image - but surprisingly, it's one of the most effective treatments for depression.

 

[shimsham]

if nothing else seemed to work, why not?

 

[loup garou]

I'd buy a taser and selfmedicate.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: loup garou
I'd buy a taser and selfmedicate.

..not a bad idea. You could wire it up to a chair or bring it into the bathtub. I thought they stopped this and use drrRRuugs now adays.

 

[Liver]

Originally posted by: aidanjm
it has a bad image - but surprisingly, it's one of the most effective treatments for depression.

No flame wars, but ECT has been and is being used for many poorly understood psychiatric disorders. We have a small inkling on how certain discrete areas of the brain works, so we decide to induce a massive seizure (of every part of the brain) in hopes to cure problems.

With any situation, must weigh the pros and cons (risk / benefit). Saying there is nothing else to lose is absurd. ECT therapy does have a fatality rate, and it is not insignificant. Additionally it has certain side affects that are life long.

Read some journals or respected books in the field before you or a loved one takes that leap.

 

[kranky]

I have a close friend who just went through that last month. Pills weren't working, and his depression was getting worse. They didn't have anything else in the bag of tricks to try. They warned him that it may affect his short-term memory, but he had no such problems. He got six treatments over a 18 day period.

In my opinion it's too soon to know if it really helped.

 

[cherrytwist]

Originally posted by: kranky
I have a close friend who just went through that last month. Pills weren't working, and his depression was getting worse. They didn't have anything else in the bag of tricks to try. They warned him that it may affect his short-term memory, but he had no such problems. He got six treatments over a 18 day period.

In my opinion it's too soon to know if it really helped.

I was in a similar situation in my early twenties (I'm 34 now).

I definitely have memory lapses.

What was the topic again?