She was convinced the ECT was responsible for her sudden memory loss and inability to function, but what followed was two years of denial by the medics who treated her. ECT was first used on a human patient in Italy in 1938, after preliminary experiments in dogs and pigs. This is how the system works. This is not a treatment, it is legalized torture., I am a survivor of ECTs. But an SWLStG spokeswoman said: "Electroconvulsive therapy is an evidence-based, NICE-approved treatment to be used under specific circumstances and can have benefits for certain patients, particularly for people with severe depression who have not responded to other forms of treatment. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC, Dr. Ahmad Raza speaks at an event for ETC education. I have notes stuck all over my walls to remind me what to do. "As with all treatments for serious medical conditions - from cancer to heart disease - there can be side-effects of differing severity, including memory loss. I was tired of not wanting to live so I consented to the treatments. This did not cure him, but in fact made him less able to control his behavior because of the brain damage from the electric current through his brain., I had a family member receive this treatment, and it almost killed them and severely lowered their quality of life. She now has very poor memory., 31 continuous ECTs spanning 4 months has ruined me forever. My memory for what I needed to do in the next minutes, or what Id just done, was gone. When ECT is properly administered, brain damage does not occur. Most ECT success stories never hit the news. And as well as memory loss and mood swings, ECT, she believes, was responsible for leaving her with "terrible" recurrent headaches and neck pain. My life is so far down the drain after ECT brain damage and TBI. On April 1, 2016, I spoke with the person in charge of the FDAs proposed rule, Michael Ryan. I also witnessed my dad go from being grouchy and withdrawn to become angry full of rage and would have frequent outbursts of rage usually directed at me even if I hadnt done anything more than walk into the room. On good days, I rarely think about what got me to where I am today. Some may welcome this at a time of great distress and suffering. There is NEVER a need for rapid response, never a need to zap a persons brain and expect the person to presto chango be undepressed. I have a right to know these things, especially since this treatment is dangerous and permanent brain damage is the result for all who undergo it., My Mother was given etc in her early thirties.It cannot be selective in what it wipes from memory and Im sure it has contributed towards her very sad state now. people seem to be oblivious to the fact that those who speak out have a noble cause and a humanistic agenda- to protect people from being brain injured, disabled, and driven to suicide bc of their losses, trauma, and despair. Side effects ranged from the pleasant "being woozy is actually really nice" right through to the extremely unpleasant e.g. I wish she had never received ECT., Electroshock treatment has ruined my life. The theory is that by sending an electric current to the brain, triggering a seizure, you can reset the brains existing electrical current, relieving the symptoms of some mental health problems. Short to Medium Term Commitment When receiving treatment, you generally have to show up to your treatment provider 5 times a week for 6 weeks. Exclusive: Figures fuel calls to ban or suspend use of electroconvulsive therapy on NHS A British family were left horrified after their dream Mallorca holiday turned into a bed-bug-infested nightmare. So much heart, time, energy, and hard work you have poured into this effort, Lauren. 11 years on I cannot work., My mother was given these some 45 yrs ago for alcoholism and it didnt work and it caused her to have seizures. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Walking through doors wasnt the only thing Cunliffe suddenly found challenging. I just turned 43. Side effects include memory loss and numerous neurological abnormalities. "There is no evidence that ECT is effective for its target demographicolder women, or its target diagnostic groupseverely depressed people, or for suicidal people, people who have unsuccessfully tried other treatments first, involuntary patients, or children and adolescent", it says. Even more disconcerting is the feeling of discombobulation its like looking back at a dream period, where youre not entirely sure what really happened, and I find this troubling. In 1983, Beryl went to her GP's suffering from back pains. Both had spoken out strongly against the ECT. 2. Nor did he envision them holding hearings, he said, because they held hearings in 2011. I feel I was used as guaranteed money for the hospital., My aunt nearly died having this device used on her., My father received a series of shock treatments. To avoid family awkwardness, my brothers had tactfully omitted naming where I am located. I hate walking into people who are strangers but the approach me like were BFFs & looking at BFFs & not remembering who they are Id like to keep the rest of my brain thank you!, I had forced ECT and it destroyed my life and the life of my family., My mother endured this barbaric treatment which, along with scores of different diagnoses and medications, never created wellness. NOT the answer for people who are depressed. Made up of mental health professionals, researchers, ECT recipients and carers, the group is calling for an inquiry into the practice of ECT along the lines of the recent Cumberlege report into pelvic meshes, which found lives had been ruined because officials failed to hear the concerns of women too often dismissing worries and complaints as womens problems and exposing failures in the health system. I made a few suicide attempts and then ended up in the shock jock hospital in town. Performed under general anaesthetic, the NHS website says ECT is sometimes recommended for severe depression if all other treatment options have failed, or when the situation is thought to be life threatening. This is understandable: as a doctor, you want your patient to have the best treatment for their condition, and finding the words to describe ECT and its adverse effects is hard. Coerces totally! And while ECT techniques have allegedly been improved, giving a shock to anyones brain is a very intrusive practice, inherent with unintended side effects and potentially causing permanent damage., I found that my daughter was threatened with a long term stay if she did not submit to the demand. Speaking [became] a problem because my speech was slurred. Cunliffe was referred for ECT in 2005 amid difficulties in her marriage. I had kept journals, which my shrinks had said were just girlish playthings. our lives are very much intertwined and i can't just up and leave. This can never be classified as wearing glasses! Description. Many have since passed away., I have had ECT shock treatments in the past, they erased my entire memory of events for months, were painful & horrible to experience & worst of all, they did NOTHING to alleviate my depression., ECT destroyed my family and my life, taking with it many years of memories as well as my ability to create new memories., I suffered permanent memory loss from ECT., ECT has been shown to cause brain damage. What is the difference between solitude and isolation? It is a barbaric treatment which should be banned., Ive had LOTS of ECT (ElectroConvulsive Therapy ((Shock Treatments)) over 48 years. I know there were things I did, rather inadvertently. Look up on the net how to make an herbal extract . (Being remodeled. They were acts of the utmost barbaric terror against my being then. I had very impaired memory, emotional reasoning and cognition for many years afterward Like 14 years now. Season 1. These can include: drowsiness (you may sleep for a while) confusion headache feeling sick aching muscles loss of appetite. This is what an FDA ." To this day, she has permanent memory loss specifically about times/events/things related to my sisters and me during our earlier childhoods. Cookie Notice Despite her straight-A record in school, young Ashley she tried to end her life more than once. ECT was an horrific procedure with catastrophic results. Drs must not be allowed to do any harm. It brings me to tears. Professor Reeds research found women are twice as likely as men to receive the treatment, and the majority of patients (58 percent) are over 60. Facebook question and answer with Sarah Lisanby. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Good, write that down too. But it sure made a lot of money for the doctor. Psychiatrists say ECT saves lives BBC News Online talks to former ECT patients who say the therapy ruined their lives. Sackeim et. Use spell-check. When I was in grad school I had an existential crisis related to my career choice, a bad marriage, drug use, and a spiritual emergency. And, under Without capacity laws can be administered in the US against a persons will/wishes. For the first few treatments, given the settings he marked down, it seems that the doctor was working with the variables of current and voltage in order to induce a seizure of adequate strength and duration. (I love my dog dearly but my health would be just as important). Off on a bit of a tangent, but are there any ECT victims who have found ways to help remediate their brain damage? Rebecca Lawrence is a consultant psychiatrist, In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. All rights reserved. MIA Webinars and Other Educational Events, Lauren Tenney, PhD, is a psychiatric survivor and activist first involuntarily committed at age 15. And so one part of the problem is that women are more likely to be inscribed with depression. My poor parents. In March 1998 I tried my first adult ed writing class. ', I am signing this petition because I have seen firsthand what these kinds of treatments do to people (one of my own family members) and the results are horrific. Permanent memory loss and permanently damage to cognitive functioning are real side effects which are life altering in a bad way. No drugs do not cause such harm. It doesnt come back, not properly, and can leave you feeling not quite sure who you are. A recent report by clinical psychologist Professor John Reed, published in Psychology Today in March, cites major flaws in the administration and regulation of ECT. Many people believe ECT has been consigned to an older, less sensitive age of mental health treatment. It has really affected her cognition and working memory. After the ECT she didnt hang out or talk to anyone. FDA PLEASE DO NOT DOWN GRADE THE SHOCK DEVICE TO A CLASS II FROM CLASS III.. No one ever talked to me about those four root causes, just the symptoms. So I got on all kind of psych drugs that made it hard to work and then I started losing jobs and failing out of grad school. And even many of the protesters suddenly, quite illogical stop responding and become silent. I hope copies of the testimonials can be sent to Dr. David Healy and Dr. Sarah Lisanby and NIHM. Like most people, I take it for granted that I am living and functioning, partaking in daily activities with the ability to work productively. Each time you pick yourself up, think of the muscles you are building. Suffolk at that point was split into two different trusts. The amnesia is really really getting to me on a personal level. 6 months subscription | 85.00 12 to 16-ounce bags of frozen fruit. If I had to go to the hospital, I'd leave my dog at the kennels. He went from an uber intelligent man to one who was just never the same., I was an ECT treatment recipient and theres no way I would down-classify this procedure because Ive had lasting cognitive deficits as a result., A person I know was given multiple shock treatments and I have painfully watched her cognitive recall decline dramatically over the last few years. She might have recovered if her brain hadnt been damaged by the ECTs. ECT is designed to induce a seizure with electric currents while a patient is under anesthesia. He visited facilities and demanded to speak directly to patients, knowing that only patients would give him accurate information about the state of human rights at these places. lilyboo, your life is not ruined, i am sorry for you and just maybe things will work out,but i do know i got this 3 years ago yesterday and i am doing things i never thought i would do again,most of the time i forget about it,brain adaptation as my doctor said it would,but yes, i have to wear plugs for theatres,cutting grass,that stuff,i very much enjoyed playing in rock bands for many years . The memory loss, the physical malaise, the nausea and headache despite medication made things worse instead of better. How the human soul accept this? As if I am dead! Truth, I can also answer that question. The doctors who prescribed it were largely earnest and well-intended, but the consequences were destructive. And that started off with having to read kids books. Unless it is outlawed., ECT was given me without my familys consent when I became 18, at a time when I lacked capacity to know what I was signing for., I went into it with what I thought was informed consent. According to brain stimulation experts from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, ECT sessions improve depression in 70 to 90 percent of patients, a. Before ect i was working after ect, i was on disability. Please sign this petition to the FDA to stop ECT. She said: "I got really ill and I thought I was Jesus in the time leading up to the ECT treatment. It is a sad thing to see, and to witness happening. A Life Erased. And one of the biggest of those crimes is administering shock to the vulnerable and distressed and suffering, usually, as you say, after poisoning them into a state of toxic drug insanity Either science is right or there is a spiritual realm. I think the reason theyre a bit loath to give the figures anymore is that it kind of shows that electric shock isnt some scientific procedure. ;..g doctor hope she did. The thought of the FDA even considering down-classifying shock treatment is horrifying!! What? I just wish I never did the Ect at all. She lived into her late 80s which most mentally ill people dont any more. All her medical training was gone. And this is what a lot of ECT victims find, because you then get labelled with other diagnoses and your family are told you are just mad. It harms more people that just the victim of the Intracranial burn scar., Electric shocks have a huge impact on peoples brain functioning and memory, and can sometimes end in death, my mother lost alit if memory and appeared like a zombie after her shocks, unable to motivate herself or remember things..and it doesnt take long before the depression comes back full force., I received ect 3 times a week for 4-5 weeks in 1995. Grandma says the shocks cured her hallucinations, but her brain may have been too fried to produce any or she may have not been able to tell people. In 2011 there was about 2000 comments and I read through most of them. Years later I met a mental health tech who used to work at that hospital. Ask questions, share your experience, or discuss new advances She is a person who has made great contributions to supporting the mental health systems change in our area. Then amazingly normal sleep returned and never voices anymore . I know from personal experience. Psychiatrists say it saves lives, but I would say it is more likely to push you towards suicide. Thirty-seven (66 percent) provided data. Gary Turner, 57, and Jutta Turner, But I have maintained a challenging career and taken postgraduate degrees, and that makes me feel better. Psychiatric shock therapy, long controversial, may face fresh restrictions. You dont get support, you dont get listened to. Its fairly acceptable to admit to taking antidepressants these days, less so ECT. Engaging with social media can affect users appearance satisfaction. Yes they say it does rewire the brain but when I think of how it is done and what I allowed them to do , it is disturbing.Allowing electricity to pass through my brain !! As doctors, we have a duty to explain, and patients have a right to knowledge and reassurance. Cookie Notice I know. I dedicated my first published book to my dads memory, and my second published book to the memory of my boyfriend. "It robbed me of my memories. Aggressive suicidal miser This is a college in Boston near Chinatown, known for the arts, theater, and film. This treatment should not be down-classified; it is dangerous., The shrinks electroshocked my dad for sexually abusing me. It should NEVER be used for ANY reason, but particularly in people who are already vulnerable due to mental illness. ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) may be the most controversial treatment that exists for mental illness. Reminders and reassurance can go a long way. Psychiatry is so designed and certainly that must be what they are proud of whenever they say they can identify validation for their demented torture modalities as another victim becomes one of the numerous stepping stones along their long arduous path to the historical scrape heap of profitable pseudo-scientific barbarianism that was finally exposed and defeated. People with traumatic brain injuries often go around with that goofy smile on their faces and this is an indication that something is badly wrong. And LOL! Read about our approach to external linking. Everyone needs to listen to survivors stories; this needs to become real and fleshed-out. I was a victim of this. I wasnt told all the possible risks. Depression: Goodbye Serotonin, Hello Stress and Inflammation, How Blame and Shame Can Fuel Depression in Rape Victims, Getting More Hugs Is Linked to Fewer Symptoms of Depression, Interacting With Outgroup Members Reduces Prejudice, You Can't Control Your Teen, But You Can Influence Them. It seems to look through you. Its only recently that I remembered that I am able to go out and buy things. I had lost quite a lot of my vocabulary. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I do not remember the geographic layout of Seattle my home town. Stop catastrophizing the situation. I would love to walk right up to the shock doc who did it to me, and all those who participated in the coercion and subsequent cover-up and minimalizing and refusal to acknowledge the obvious damages, who are namely, The McLean Hospital Corporation, Shock doc Dr. Michael Henry and the ECT Clinic, and all those bigwigs at McLean who went along with it whom I have mentioned by name in my various documents (I fear them not as I am telling the truth, can they do the same for a change? So many of you message me asking why I'm so against . The most common are short-term to permanent memory loss and other cognitive difficulties, headaches, toothache and muscle aches, nausea, cardiac arrhythmias, and similar cardiovascular problems. Keep a supply of erasers, a mop, and a bucket. I have lost 35+ yrs of memory, 27 IQ pts, am unable to make new memories, numb, like a zombie. The rampant misinformation about this procedure compels me to offer my story as evidence of what ECT can do. Shame on all of those who conduct and support this!, Im signing because a close friend received ECT, after being told that the side effects of memory loss were overblown in the literature or unlikely to happen. Horrible!, I had shock therapy for 2 anda half years. Just the sound of defeating silence and a blank space in response. peer respites, peer support, non-medical holistic whole body approaches, to name a few.) Without continued attentionto. I was originally diagnosed with major depression when I was twelve years old and immediately began treatment following my diagnosis. ECT and Me. I have known several people who have had ECT and desperately regret it. Breaking Blind: Antipsychotic Drug Efficacy May Be Overestimated, Unveiling Brazils Rich Tradition in Participatory Mental Health Research. I havent been able to work, and my husband has been responsible for almost everything in our household including the care for my daughter. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. For what? This is literally the last chance to ask your networks, friends, and loved ones to have your voice counted in this round of our fight with the FDA to not down-classify the shock device for any reason, and to have them hold hearings on the shock device. i know this is kind of typical of these situations, i just feel so lost. I find the FDA not reopening the shock dockets or holding accessible public hearings on the shock device unacceptable, and I hope you will agree with me that we must take further actions. I am sorry I haven't greeted you here. After several (or only one) of these treatments, the patient experiences headaches, nausea, loss of memory, disorientation and emotional instability, and other symptoms. It wiped out the majority of my autobiographical memories, and caused severe short term memory problems, apathy, eye movement disorder, spontaneous seizures, headaches, nightmares, ptsd. Been such a sobbing, psychotic, raging maniac. redwood tree buyers; dog breeds with pink around eyes; cairns train station spirit of queensland; most expensive house in australia address; lee marvin military service ECT saved my father's life and my parents' marriage. Above them, only the devil. He lost his ability to read and forgot his name. This person thought that the treatment had helped, but that their memory had been permanently affected. You cant make sense of your world. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) saved my life. The patient is first given anaesthetic and muscle relaxants before putting in a mouth guard to stop them from biting their own tongue. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please 1) Frozen Fruit. The medical community completely minimized them. ECT doctors view this as an improvement but actually it indicates severe and disabling brain injury. Despite my best efforts and happy marriage, I still struggle with short-term memory problems and permanent cognitive dysfunction. Its cruel., Because my niece went through ECT and it caused her permanent brain damage. Mixed berry, strawberry, blueberry, and even peach! Still Active, just FYI). Hi Folks, After a bit of red tape mix-up, my comment is finally up there and visible. But when it comes to ECT the psychiatrists state that this is proof that the shock did the person good because they were depressed before and now theyre smiling! If I want to be bleak, I can talk about how ECT ruined my life, how it stole my memories of my ex-fiance (and nearly everything else about my life), to such a degree that I don't even remember what she looks like or how we met or our first date or even the circumstances under which she left me. Bolton is the program director of McLean's Psychiatric Neurotherapeutics Program. The only information needed is your name, email and comment text. Sleep, exercise, nutrition, psychotherapy, social support groups, stress management, and often medication play a critical role in maintaining health after ECT. Something was put in my mouth before they anaesthetised me. I listened reluctantly, thinking of all the other reasons there might be for that illness, age, medications. I had an IQ test in this time frame and my IQ had gone from 142 to 99. The brain can heal: https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/14-powerful-ways-to-form-new-synapses-in-the-brain. We just want equality, and I dont care whether [ECT has] helped people, she says. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. But there are people who have been treated with ECT who consider that they have been permanently damaged by it. If you look at the multiple roles of women in society, they are pretty much exhausted a lot of the time far more than men I suspect. So for example, one of the things I showed many years ago when you could get the figures was in Suffolk. have seen many articles about how many people say that ECT has ruined their life. Oddly, after all these years, childhood friends of mine who remember me well before I ever knew there was such thing as Mental Illness are coming out of the woodwork and finding me. Youve got mail became a joy to me, just as decades ago, my daily trip to the mailbox had been the best part of the day. "It got to the point where I even baptised my feet in the toilet.". She said: "It is a barbaric practice. This determination can be made without public hearings? It has five years since the ect has been done. The risks are just too bad. Prayers to the families who lost loved ones from this. Another fiction is the fear of brain damage. No way! Thank you for your support. There was no emergency or treatment-resistant depression. I wasnt even depressed. It should be banned not lowered in class., I know firsthand that shock treatment is. It is something that certain psychiatrists prefer.. So nice to wax eloquent on something you have never endured. The distinction between "left brain" and "right brain" is a persistent myth that impacts how people think about communication. Alternatively your vet should be able to recommend a kennel. I encourage anyone having memory issues associated with ECT to get a second opinion from a research institution like UTSW. I wasn't sure which thread to reply to so I just picked this one. I believe and hope that one day, mental illness will be discussed with the same rationality as breast cancer or heart disease. I agree with you. Nothing worked and I was still severely depressed and suicidal. Lets ignore the other 6 or 7 completely destroyed. The chapter W in Newness book is dedicated to women. I also have no memory, ever, of having consented to treatment. As a psychiatrist, I know that ECT is a rapid and lifesaving treatment in severe depression, when the patient is suicidal, or no longer able to care for themselves. NICE says their guidance for ECT was last reviewed in 2014 but it would look at it again if new evidence was likely to affect their recommendations. Several months ago, a major news organization interviewed me for a front-page article about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). I went from happily living a normal middle aged working spouse/mother life with a basic hypothyroid condition, to a full blown psychiatric iatrogenic survivor, now permanently labeled as mentally ill, while facing daily neurological post side effects of such treatments. I awoke that morning, realized I was 40 years old and it was just plain gone. Post author: Post published: June 12, 2022 Post category: is kiefer sutherland married Post comments: add the comment and therapists to the selected text add the comment and therapists to the selected text His work with NAMI had become Human Rights centered. I've been wanting to post this for a while but I finally went to see my physician today and explained how my whole life I've felt completely unmotivated, inattentive, and constantly in my head.
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