Not only did ect make my life worse and wipe out much of who I am, Im unsure of the future. Both electrodes are placed over the temples, overlapping the frontal lobes of the brain. Ignorance at its finest. As a doctor and psychiatrist, I know that all treatments will have potential unwanted effects, and it would be wrong to say that such problems are not possible. Unfortunately, when published, the reporter presented our information accurately but combined it with misinformation provided by so-called experts and disproportionate negative examples of the treatment. I also have no memory, ever, of having consented to treatment. He did admit to some memory loss but it wasn't too severe. . "On the basis of the clinical trial data, ECT should not be used for depressed individuals.". I lived two years of absolute humiliation, says Cunliffe. and our 2. Can We Erase Painful Memories with Electroconvulsive Therapy? Another fiction is the fear of brain damage. Dr Rupert McShane, chair of the college's Committee on ECT and Related Treatments, said there was evidence showing "most people who receive ECT see an improvement in their condition". "All I knew is that I wanted to get back to work, and that I felt I should have been handling my father's death better, and that they had told me that ECT would work faster than drugs or the alternative, which was to do nothing at all.". Or 1000 real life stories from people who have been there? He said he believed in me. www.laurentenney.us, MIA Webinars and Other Educational Events, Antipsychotics for Psychosis, Bipolar & More, Lauren Tenney, PhD, MPhil, MPA, Psychiatric Survivor, Epidemiologists Decry Major Problems in US Psychiatric Practice, The Germanwings Crash: Flying Under the Influence, Global Mental Health Agenda Fails to Address Psychoses in sub-Saharan Africa, Says New Report, Researchers: ECT Study in Children Methodologically Flawed, Ethically Concerning, https://www.regulations.gov/searchResults?rpp=25&po=0&s=1k0-8oqo-69e7, https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/14-powerful-ways-to-form-new-synapses-in-the-brain, Campaign Against ECT Gains Traction in UK. The thought of the FDA even considering down-classifying shock treatment is horrifying!! ECT, my regrets and my long term negative impacts from ECT 'It has ruined my life': Woman who underwent electro-shock therapy in I had an IQ test in this time frame and my IQ had gone from 142 to 99. Too Good to Be True: How TMS Damaged My Brain - Mad In America Of course this earned me a mental health label because thats the way it works, right? TMS: What It Felt Like for Me I Psych Central You dont get support, you dont get listened to. Now, I have serious memory loss and my brain function is limited- my life has been ruined by ECT and I'm not the same person I once was - is there anyone out there that can relate to me-- where it's only caused negative outcomes Do you feel like family, friends don't understand how it feels and why everything is worse off today because of ECT- there aren't any support groups out there 4 this. The brain is unexplored territory, please do not do more harm by re-classifying this. Dont give up. It doesnt come back, not properly, and can leave you feeling not quite sure who you are. It is something that certain psychiatrists prefer.. Stock up for those summer smoothies! The Dr that performed this did not follow the protocol that was given by a University hospital ect specialist. One of the reasons they stopped keeping them is that they reveal the amazing difference between places in terms of the amount of the number of treatments that are given, he says. But the experience itself was, for me, very easy. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. My Great-Aunt was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was seventeen. High school giddiness and shallowness at its best?? I must say that if meds didn't ultimately work for me, and I was afraid they wouldn't, my next consideration would have been ECT. Its fairly acceptable to admit to taking antidepressants these days, less so ECT. This determination can be made without public hearings? Subscription is just 4.99 a month, and all income from subscriptions goes to Big Issue North Trust and helps vendors in the North of England to make positive changes to their lives. I have hope for a lot of people though. Health does not come with a lifetime guarantee. ECT is designed to induce a seizure with electric currents while a patient is under anesthesia. This journal article from Dr. Alan E. Brooker . Many people believe ECT has been consigned to an older, less sensitive age of mental health treatment. Life forever damaged and broken by ECT - Citizens Commission on Human The decisions should be clinical, not moral. It is pretty clear who is pathetic and in need of help, someone with NOTHING to say about the numerous studies, articles, and research pointing to the useless and brain damaging nature of shock. Why Do Women Remember More Dreams Than Men Do? No the memories do not come back. His work with NAMI had become Human Rights centered. I had over 70 of these horrible treatments within a two year span. check out the. Or she may have wised up enough to keep them to herself so as not to get more ECT. How had I forgotten I was so good at it? Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. The scalp and skull do not shield the electrical processes in the brain from such a force any more than a cubicle wall shields your ears from a colleague who is incapable of keeping his phone on. This is the sad history of ECT. He says: Depression often reveals itself as tiredness. So, here is the article I wrote. I had 30 rounds of ect for severe depression at 21 years old. When will the psychiatrists stop committing crimes against humanity? Paula Bolton, MS, CNP, ANP-BC, reports that after having ECT, many patients share responses like, "I feel like myself again" or "I'm getting my life back.". Never. The brain may not create consciousness but "filter" it. Tell me which weighs more? Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website. The Pros and Cons of TMS Therapy - Genesis Behavioral Health It was like that for me. Side effects include memory loss and numerous neurological abnormalities. Lets just mindlessly drink the koolaid and shriek OMG! It ruined my life and robbed my of my personality and my memories." Or, alternatively, they are just that stupid they cannot see the truth or comprehend the science. At a time the FDA is looking into downgrading the classification for this device, I am sickened by the publication of yet another Huff post piece promoting this procedure, brain injury as treatment., by a person calling many of those who posted negative comments about ECT haters, loonies, Peter Breggin groupies, later calling some pathetic, in need of help, encouraged by others who fawned over her story and disparaged those weirdos and crazies. [According to the psychiatrists] it had nothing to do with ECT. I have notes stuck all over my walls to remind me what to do. There I was, now complaining that something was wrong with my brain. Writing for a buck isnt what I do. I know. The information provided, which related to treatment carried out in 2019, showed around 2,500 people are still being given ECT annually in England, compared with about 50,000 in the 1970s. Force never does. ECT doctors view this as an improvement but actually it indicates severe and disabling brain injury. It ruined my own mothers neurological function leading to the loss of a parent for myself. The FDA should be held equally liable if they choose to declassify ECT to Level II. However, the risk of death is minimal. I suffer mentally, physically and emotionally from the damages caused by ECTs. I dont remember where Rainier Ave South is for example. Do not change the classification of the ECT machine., Over a continuous period of 3 and a half months in 1976-77, I was reduced to a virtual vegetable (unable to think, converse or do anything but the simplest tasks) by being subjected to intensive treatment, i.e. 40,000 die from breast cancer. It does not matter that the industry lies and says it is not harmful! Humans have evolved brain functions that allow us to connect, despite our differences. Unfortunately it is the standard of care. How on earth was that helpful to me? Privacy Policy. Keppra | MyEpilepsyTeam 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. TMS aka rTMS for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive type of brain stimulation treatment. Do we eliminate heart surgery because some have a second heart attack? I only knew who my friends were because they kept coming in to see me. After explaining to Mr. Ryan my inability to input all of the comments we received through the petition, and howdocuments from my own comments were not successfully uploaded, he agreed to accept these documents in print form. I agree with you. I think it is a good treatment, but I think it comes with its fair share of problems, which can be unduly minimised by clinicians. Just the thought of it is terrorizing me still today., Everyone should have all information regarding their treatment before administration of such a treatment, although I felt that I benefited by it I believe that everyone has the right to refuse it., Because I have seen the effects that this machine has on people and its destructive and deadly. This has caused me to lose years off my life because my heart is so weak now, from the heartache and sadness from the loss of who I was, what I was and how I was beforehand." In her own words, this is an account of Jane London's experience with ECT. ECT is touted as the best treatment for depression and we are told that science has finally, after more than 70 years, found out how it works. Most people we spoke to had some side effects from the treatment. I am not eating or drinking properlyI cant even get up to do everyday thingsexercise is out of the question..cant explain the sensation in my brain.I just want it to go away..im scared to go to the hospital because that is where they did the dreaded ECT..but I cant continue this.also I have a dog and I have no place to leave himso I have been putting off going go the hospital. That psychiatric atrocities stopped, it is first necessary to recognize psychiatry crime. Ect ruined my life. It took me five years to be able to read again. Theyve done everything they possibly could ever since to attempt to discredit me and prove that what I have done couldnt possibly be real. It is genocide., My friend had a horrific experience with ECT and committed suicide six months later., I am an ECT survivor. (Never, ever shut up, either. For Cunliffe, the use of ECT and treatment of mental health patients is at a tipping point. This is heartbreaking., As a survivor of shock therapy, I can say it destroyed my subtle sensory ability to feel nuances of feelings that make life the experience it is meant to be. Nothing that causes epileptic seizures and erases your memory can be helpful. Jacqueline Dunn, 47, of Sutton, wants to ban the treatment she said has ruined her life and left her suffering with memory loss and other problems. I was told it would simply make my brain reset itself and in a short time I would be fine It is just a lobotomy really. A vocal minority despises ECT. He told me I should teach myself to use a mouse. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It has not helped any of them, especially not her. For more information, please see our 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. He knew that my word as witness (I had written up a 62-page document that later became a chapter of my published memoir) had been credible regarding Metropolitan State Hospital. I am AGAINST reclassifying shock. While you may be aware of the hazards (heart attacks, brain bleeds, memory loss), what you probably dont know about is what happens to them as people who you interact with. After the ECT she just like wasnt there and had this bugged out smile stuck on her face like in that old commercial that showed lottery winners at the time. I was in benzo withdrawal which no one recognize as such. A dear friend of mine survived several rounds of ECT in her younger days and describes it as a horrifying and excruciating experience. It wasnt safe to live with him any more and even though he was grouchy and withdrawn before treatment I would have preferred to live with grouchy and withdrawn as opposed to violent and raging., Im signing because I am a survivor of shock therapy. For play slushies, choose a "flavor . I have memory problems and suffered an aneurysm, I was lucky to survive., I was coerced into consenting to this barbaric experience, and have been irrevocably harmed by induced grand mal seizures, without the benefit of accurate risk and effect information., I do not believe in the use of electroshock. I wasnt even depressed. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978, As a psychiatrist, if I had severe depression Id choose ECT | Mariam Alexander, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Mankind is forced to take. This person thought that the treatment had helped, but that their memory had been permanently affected. Some 60 shocks, some 16 years beyond the last shock, husband passed away, the memories still havent returned, mega loss of better than 25 years. I couldnt read. This can never be classified as wearing glasses! ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) may be the most controversial treatment that exists for mental illness. In fact, research has shown that ECT increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which stimulates brain cell growth. I was saddened that I was able only a week or so ago to access her death announcement. I believe a week or so later I began my novel. 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. Perhaps neither treatment is better or worse, just different. I also talk in the book about a much more simple thing, which is that we live in a patriarchal society. She now has very poor memory., 31 continuous ECTs spanning 4 months has ruined me forever. Analyzing years of data, including private communications with one of the leading researchers of our time on memory loss from ECT (Janis), Sterling strongly concludes that ECT does, in fact, cause organic brain damage, similar to that seen from the results of trauma or toxicity in the brain. People who saw me as something other than a diseased thing to be profited from. 3) Restored my dignity. I googled it and found some NAMI blog about safe and effective, and I didnt research further because I trusted the medical industry in those days. Please post and forward it so that people might obtain some balanced information about ECT. Shock is not effective in relieving depression or anything else beyond the first few weeks after it happens, when the brain, having suffered an injury, is trying to repair itself and so it seems that the activity of the mind has changed. "While ECT can sometimes cause people to lose some past memories, we've become much better at mitigating . For most people, the problems will be tolerable if well explained and monitored. The electrodes are placed on the temples. JoAnniiee B on Instagram: "This is my WHY! So many of you message me When does the importance of a message outweigh pride? Comments by Shock Survivors and Their Loved Ones My father had suffered from a deep, intractable depression that wasn't responding to medication. In 2011 there was about 2000 comments and I read through most of them. By Judith Graham. I have lost 35+ yrs of memory, 27 IQ pts, am unable to make new memories, numb, like a zombie. Both are issues which are ripe for coalition building as well. Brain training games? He had just gotten interested in the work of Judi Chamberlin, and was so inspired by her that he had realized that Mental Health was all about Human Rights. Since ECT causes BRAIN DAMAGE, my memory is deficient about the period when I had the ECTs, It also removes periods of memory (up to 10 years at a time) and the MDs and the RNs tell you the memories will come back after awhile, BUT THEY DONT. The other problem is stigmatisation. ECT put famous comedian Gary Gulman on path toward remission In total, I have had around 70 individual treatments. No. Almost total amnesia for more than 20 years is the result of forced ECT and nothing else. One of the things people are most curious about is ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). Now 27 years old, I'm scared about my future as its been over 5 years and I'm still left with severe disabilities from it. Disinterest in socializing or activities. Dear Moderators, under the circumstances, I think naming names should be encouraged and should not be classified as personal attacks. Folks named Hitler, right? As a patient, I feel the same. does ect cause permanent memory loss - Anxiety - MedHelp It is a brutal and unnecessary treatment, because patients will feel better eventually without any ECT. With ECT, Ive defied suicide, living 14 lucky years beyond my attempts of 2001. In the first week of January, on my 40th birthday, the confusion left me. Why ECT Is Becoming a Preferred Depression Treatment And simply trial and error. Weekly Newsletter What? ECT permanently impairs memory and causes other long- term signs of mental dysfunction such as difficulties with concentration and new learning. I went from being a successful environmental designer and architect professional managing my own design business, to a stigmatized disabled person facing daily debilitating post iatrogenic treatments side effects that now impair me from practicing my profession and living my life fully. I am now so forgetful and have a horrible attention span. His last work for NAMI was as a Human Rights worker. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Then she called me and cussed me out for 2 days on how I ruined her life because, we had her tubes tied in 1980 because her dr said that C section shouldn't have more than 2 at the max . My new neurologist who's alot more knowledgable and caring asked if I'd try brivaracetam, he mentioned it was very similar to or basically like a new keppra just no Genaric name out where I'm from. ECT and Brain Damage | HealthyPlace If I want to be bleak I can talk about how I . and our Also had amalgams containing mercury removed , root canals removed and checked for cavitations. 7 reviews of Yaupon by Windsor "Apartment review- The apartments are beautiful and have great amenities, along with a beautiful view of the green belt in the sky lounge! I know there were things I did, rather inadvertently. For four and a half years I didnt get out of bed. No way do I believe guts and determination was what saved me. I used to have a photographic memory. 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. 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. I can just hear the oh, yes, well, must be the benzos, the anesthetics, the anti-psychotics, the disease state, the coffee they have been drinking, the phases of the moon, somataform disorder, aliens, conspiracy theorists., basically anything but the electrical lobotomies decimating people being assaulted by ECT creating traumatic acquired brain injuries. They were acts of the utmost barbaric terror against my being then. The idea still frightened me but I understand the state of desperation that depression puts us in. Because my depression seemed untreatable with drug therapy, the doctor suggested ECTs. It seems to look through you. The serotonin theory of depression has been called into question recently. Or just get a pile of sticky notes, a chalkboard, and program your phone with reminders, alerts, and notes to self like a dementia patient might? But it would be electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in 2016 and 2017 that would ultimately set the 47-year-old on a path toward remission and back on the stage. YAUPON BY WINDSOR - 12 Photos - 7870 US 290 Hwy W, Austin, Texas - Yelp Download and subscribe to the Street News app today, for unlimited access to stories that raise the voices of marginalised communities around the world. But we mustnt forget that the illnesses that require ECT are horrible, and might also cause damage if left untreated. Id like to reiterate thanks to Lauren Tenney for her tireless work and a big In Solidarity hug to all you who have survived and to all those who have not and to those that love us still . peer respites, peer support, non-medical holistic whole body approaches, to name a few.) Jacqueline Dunn, 47, of Sutton, wants to ban the treatment she said. My memory for what I needed to do in the next minutes, or what Id just done, was gone. And apologize to those of us still living for doing the crap they did. . I have a friend who underwent that method of treatment at least twice and it went well for him. ;..g doctor hope she did. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Has anyone tried hyperbaric oxygen therapy or holistic approaches that provide even minor benefits? for whatever silly reason i decided to look to about.com for first hand accounts of ECT, and completely terrified myself (there was a lot of 'ECT RUINED MY LIFE' talk and 'ECT TOOK MY SISTER AWAY' however, about.com is also the garbage heap of informational sites, so i came here. have seen many articles about how many people say that ECT has ruined their life. Will all the petitions and testimonials be made available to the public? One of the pioneers of research into subjective memory impairment were Squire and Chace who published a series of studies in the 1970s demonstrating the adverse effect of bilateral ECT on subjective assessment of memory. But there are people who have been treated with ECT who consider that they have been permanently damaged by it. Something was put in my mouth before they anaesthetised me. Some people also: injure their teeth or jaw, or other muscles, although should be minimised by the muscle relaxant No educational degree could possibly give a human being the status of a god, nor the right to determine who is worthy of life and which lives ones among us should be snuffed out. It is frank discrimination and negligence on their part., My dad had ECT when I was a kid and since treatment he will look at me and call me by my sisters name its like my name doesnt exist in his memory unless someone reminds him of it. The scary minority examples are far more enticing to publish than a balanced article about the risks and benefits associated with a life-saving treatment. It's been a hard burden to bear the past 15 years. For me, its as though there are big holes in my memory before and during a course of treatment. 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. The brain can heal: https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/14-powerful-ways-to-form-new-synapses-in-the-brain. i want to be loved how i love, seen in the light i . ECT and Me. RT @KellyMartin02: Please cite your source for the 80-90% supposed "response". I read several articles on how brain injury is a result of ect. On April 1, 2016, I spoke with the person in charge of the FDAs proposed rule, Michael Ryan. 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? Its easy to blame ECT for difficulties that might have happened anyway. The Mind charity says ECT "can be an effective treatment" for people with severe depression, for whom no other treatment has worked. contact the editor here. Lets ignore the other 6 or 7 completely destroyed. am i being emotionally abused? i feel like my confidence - Reddit Recently I spoke with someone who had, in the past, been given a large number of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. Have seen 2 neurologist now too. ECT was not only ineffective at sustainably improving my mental health, but it did significantly damage my memory and brain function., My grandfather, a NASA engineer, was reduced to a vegetative state through treatment with ECT. I made a few suicide attempts and then ended up in the shock jock hospital in town. In 2006-2007 i had electroconvulsive therapy (ect). Theyve seen movies or testimonials about brain damage, electricity, and high relapse rates.
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