Please note, it is recommended that you consult with a psychiatrist and he or she will tell you what medications to take and when you should try a new one.
Our next topic in our series is the biological treatment of depression/mental illness. This is a blog about
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). I can especially speak on this
subject because I have had over forty treatments of ECT, both inpatient and outpatient.
The first time I had ECT was 1988. I had gone off an antidepressant with my psychiatrist's permission and,within two weeks, the depression was back with a vengeance. My family and I were at the beach and I was parking the car. As I walked toward Robyn and the kids it was clear to them that I was having trouble with depression.
My psychiatrist was contacted and she put me back on the medication that had been However that medication no longer was effective. Getting the right antidepressant was not happening and the days turned to months. So after months of severe depression. I was asked whether I wanted to get ECT; the answer was, "yes."
The second time I was depressed and was treated by ECT was in 1998. This time, I requested it!
As I have mentioned, some antidepressants medications are not always effective. If you try one and have been taking it at least a month., you may have to go through another period of "gutting it out,"while you wait for the antidepressant to kick-in.
Why did I ask to have the treatments? It was because I could not eat or sleep. Depression was ravaging my body and brain. Some of you may react in horror at my decision to get ECT. Are you sure your reaction is not because you have let the media's presentation of ECT scare you into not wanting this scientifically effective treatment? Depression is a neuro-degenerative disease and you must try to, "check the first symptoms."
ECT rescued me out of severe depression a number of times. I don't see anything in the Bible that says that a treatment like this is wrong. For some reason, people are all right with treatments for illnesses that start from the neck down. "To shock a brain" is not as acceptable as it is to "shock a heart."
Believe me if your brain was in a severe depressive episode and nothing was working you would be open to treatment options! I recommend ECT for someone who has tried medications and they do not work or they do not work fast enough.
When I worked as a clinical case manger, I would talk to my patients, the ones who had tried to commit suicide. When I asked them why they did not get ECT, the usual response was; "I was afraid to get ECT. I thought it would destroy my brain." This is not good logic; why would a person rather go through the horrible trauma of suicide rather than try another proven answer to correct faulty brain chemistry? Actually, not getting effective treatment by medicine or ECT can in some ways diminish your brain power.
First developed in 1938, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for years had a poor reputation with many negative depictions in popular culture. However, the procedure has improved significantly since its initial use and is safe and effective. People who undergo ECT do not feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure.
It is most often used to treat severe, treatment-resistant depression, but occasionally it is used to treat other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. It also may be used in life-threatening circumstances, such as when a patient is unable to move or respond to the outside world (e.g., catatonia), is suicidal, or is malnourished as a result of severe depression.
Before ECT begins, a patient is put under brief anesthesia and given a muscle relaxant. He or she sleeps through the treatment and does not consciously feel the electrical impulses. Within one hour after the treatment session, which takes only a few minutes, the patient is awake and alert.
A person typically will undergo ECT several times a week, and often will need to take an antidepressant or other medication along with the ECT treatments. Although some people will need only a few courses of ECT, others may need maintenance ECT—usually once a week at first, then gradually decreasing to monthly treatments. On-going NIMH-supported ECT research is aimed at developing personalized maintenance ECT schedules.
ECT may cause some side effects, including confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. Usually these side effects are short-term, but sometimes they can linger. Newer methods of administering the treatment have reduced the memory loss and other cognitive difficulties associated with ECT. Research has found that one year after completing ECT treatments, most patients showed no adverse cognitive effects.
In their book, Broken Minds, (Kregel Publications), Steve and Robyn Bloem not only give a technical look at depression but, also share what has happened to them, personally. In the Glossary of Terms of this book, you will find a good definition of ECT (page 246). You will also find chapter 12 ; The Frightening ECT Response to Mental Ilnness to be helpful. Please take advantage of the special right now.now.You can buy this book from the authors at our cost plus shipping http://www.heartfeltmin.org/resources.html
Steve has counseled people who were hesitant about getting ECT, but found out it was a depression stopper. He meets people face to face from Jupiter to Fort Lauderdale, FL. He also counsels by Skype, and by phone, reaching people throughout the world. If you wish to know more about his counseling ministry, go to:.heartfeltmin.org/join-us.html
The first time I had ECT was 1988. I had gone off an antidepressant with my psychiatrist's permission and,within two weeks, the depression was back with a vengeance. My family and I were at the beach and I was parking the car. As I walked toward Robyn and the kids it was clear to them that I was having trouble with depression.
My psychiatrist was contacted and she put me back on the medication that had been However that medication no longer was effective. Getting the right antidepressant was not happening and the days turned to months. So after months of severe depression. I was asked whether I wanted to get ECT; the answer was, "yes."
The second time I was depressed and was treated by ECT was in 1998. This time, I requested it!
As I have mentioned, some antidepressants medications are not always effective. If you try one and have been taking it at least a month., you may have to go through another period of "gutting it out,"while you wait for the antidepressant to kick-in.
Why did I ask to have the treatments? It was because I could not eat or sleep. Depression was ravaging my body and brain. Some of you may react in horror at my decision to get ECT. Are you sure your reaction is not because you have let the media's presentation of ECT scare you into not wanting this scientifically effective treatment? Depression is a neuro-degenerative disease and you must try to, "check the first symptoms."
ECT rescued me out of severe depression a number of times. I don't see anything in the Bible that says that a treatment like this is wrong. For some reason, people are all right with treatments for illnesses that start from the neck down. "To shock a brain" is not as acceptable as it is to "shock a heart."
Believe me if your brain was in a severe depressive episode and nothing was working you would be open to treatment options! I recommend ECT for someone who has tried medications and they do not work or they do not work fast enough.
When I worked as a clinical case manger, I would talk to my patients, the ones who had tried to commit suicide. When I asked them why they did not get ECT, the usual response was; "I was afraid to get ECT. I thought it would destroy my brain." This is not good logic; why would a person rather go through the horrible trauma of suicide rather than try another proven answer to correct faulty brain chemistry? Actually, not getting effective treatment by medicine or ECT can in some ways diminish your brain power.
First developed in 1938, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for years had a poor reputation with many negative depictions in popular culture. However, the procedure has improved significantly since its initial use and is safe and effective. People who undergo ECT do not feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure.
It is most often used to treat severe, treatment-resistant depression, but occasionally it is used to treat other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. It also may be used in life-threatening circumstances, such as when a patient is unable to move or respond to the outside world (e.g., catatonia), is suicidal, or is malnourished as a result of severe depression.
Before ECT begins, a patient is put under brief anesthesia and given a muscle relaxant. He or she sleeps through the treatment and does not consciously feel the electrical impulses. Within one hour after the treatment session, which takes only a few minutes, the patient is awake and alert.
A person typically will undergo ECT several times a week, and often will need to take an antidepressant or other medication along with the ECT treatments. Although some people will need only a few courses of ECT, others may need maintenance ECT—usually once a week at first, then gradually decreasing to monthly treatments. On-going NIMH-supported ECT research is aimed at developing personalized maintenance ECT schedules.
ECT may cause some side effects, including confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. Usually these side effects are short-term, but sometimes they can linger. Newer methods of administering the treatment have reduced the memory loss and other cognitive difficulties associated with ECT. Research has found that one year after completing ECT treatments, most patients showed no adverse cognitive effects.
In their book, Broken Minds, (Kregel Publications), Steve and Robyn Bloem not only give a technical look at depression but, also share what has happened to them, personally. In the Glossary of Terms of this book, you will find a good definition of ECT (page 246). You will also find chapter 12 ; The Frightening ECT Response to Mental Ilnness to be helpful. Please take advantage of the special right now.now.You can buy this book from the authors at our cost plus shipping http://www.heartfeltmin.org/resources.html 
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