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rainedrop1019 · Oct 20th, 2009, 11:30 PM

^^ Agreed!

KZ - I'm sorry I don't have anything to contribute. All I have are

thoughts, and prayers. You're a very strong woman and your cousin is very lucky to have you by her side. Please do give us an update on how everything goes.

HauteMama · Oct 20th, 2009, 11:51 PM

I do not have any actual knowledge to contribute. However, my mother's best friend's son (he was like a cousin to me growing up, and we saw that family all the time) was depressed from the time he was a teen. He was brilliant, but dropped out of college and couldn't hold a steady job. He became involved in a cult-like situation for a while, looking for any meaning for his life. He had been prescribed many meds and combinations of meds over the years, but nothing helped much. His doctors had just suggested ECT, and he and his family were considering it, but he lost his battle before they could proceed. He committed suicide in his bedroom at his parent's home.

So while I don't know much of anything about the procedure and whether it could work or not, I do know that I'd give an awful lot for Mark to have been able to try it.

karmenzsofia · Oct 21st, 2009, 12:01 AM

Gosh, HM, I'm so sorry to hear about your like-cousin. How devastating it must have been for him to endure so many years of anguish and for the family to watch helplessly as he deteriorated. Who knows if ECT would've helped him... Thanks for sharing your story. Depression is a horrific disease--not of the mind, as many think, and not even the brain, as recent research is showing, but of the whole body. It ranks as the second most disabling disease in western countries, and expected to be also 2nd worldwide by 2020.

babieejae1101 · Oct 21st, 2009, 11:10 PM

I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin.

. I hope that she is able to get the help that she needs and feels better soon. I wish I could offer more advice, but I didn't know they still used ECT. I haven't heard anything about it in years. My grandparents' neighbor was living with Schizophrenia and got it in the 60's and 70's.

karmenzsofia · Oct 21st, 2009, 11:21 PM

Update: She spoke to her doctor today, and he, too, recommended ECT, felt confident it would be worth trying for her, and gave her a couple of names to call. They don't just automatically agree to give that treatment to just anyone, so ultimately it'll be up to the ECT doctor when they meet, if they meet. She called one of them today and is supposed to hear back tomorrow. We'll see...

Hally · Oct 21st, 2009, 11:56 PM

Thanks for the update. I really hope she finds some relief from her depression. Do you mind me asking how old she is?

soshesaid · Nov 3rd, 2009, 11:51 PM

First of all, I'd like to say that I am truly sorry that your cousin has to go through this depression.

Since you asked for opinions, either positive or negative, I thought I should add my experience with a friend who had ECT. He was a very very intelligent (tested for gifted and talented IQ) and talented person. He was also very depressed in high school. His parents decided on ECT as the treatment. And I know that after receiving the treatment, he at times became inexplicably violent, disproportionate to the situation. He was able to function on a daily basis slightly better than he had when he was severely depressed. He could hold down a job. But I can imagine that reacting violently in a somewhat unpredictable way can have very negative, possibly illegal consequences. He was not the type to be violent AT ALL before the ECT. Imagine a musician type of guy ... very quiet and introverted. I know everyone reacts differently, this was just my personal experience with someone who received ECT.

MandM · Nov 4th, 2009, 12:11 AM

Andy Behrman wrote a very favorable account of his treatment for bi-polar disorder with ECT in "Electroboy: a Memoir of Mania". Like everyone has said, ECT is nothing like the older movie versions...and this author really feels like it saved him.

I just hope that your cousin gets some sort of useful help. If she's truly suicidal, then maybe she should be hospitalized? Even if she doesn't want to be? She is thinking that suicide is "rational" and "logical" right now precisely because she's clinically depressed. Meanwhile, the fact that she is concerned about the possibility that ECT could damage her health shows that -- on some level -- she still has a sense of self-preservation and a desire to live and be healthy. Keeping her safe in a hospital might be upsetting to her right now...but ultimately she might be grateful if it keeps her alive long enough to see that her life still has some meaning.

Anyway, if the idea of ECT gives her any sense of hope...then I'd think that alone could be a good thing. From your description it sounds like she's barely hanging on and really needs something to keep her going.

(btw, I teach a uni class on the history of psychiatry -- which is very different from actually being a doctor! -- so I'm just giving some personal ideas, nothing professional).

karmenzsofia · Nov 4th, 2009, 12:52 AM

Oh, wow...I forgot about the thread! Thanks for bringing it up again and for the info the two of you provided.

My cousin had an ECT consultation with the psychiatrist/neurologist last week, got her labs done, and just today told me she got medical clearance to start next week.

She has done enough research to make an informed decision, but she wants to read more personal accounts, though she understands that there's no way of knowing whether or not it will help her or make matters worse without trying it because everyone is different. In addition, whether someone improves or not, the side effects also vary from person to person.

The memory loss seems to be minor in most people, but what if you're the kind of person who ends up with disabling memory loss? Still, the one thing that she's truly concerned about is the possibility of cognitive deficits post ECT. She's extremely intelligent and has a high IQ (it must run in the family!

), and that's the one thing the Dr. is also concerned about kuz it would affect her employability, as her intelligence is what earns her a living.

She's also still trying to find people to drive her back and forth three times a week for the treatments, and that's no easy task kuz everyone is working, busy, whatever.

MandM: I would LOVE to take your class!!!

Kansashalo · Nov 4th, 2009, 08:18 AM

/\ I wish your cousin the best.

domlee · Nov 4th, 2009, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by karmenzsofia

...
She's extremely intelligent and has a high IQ (it must run in the family!

), and that's the one thing the Dr. is also concerned about kuz it would affect her employability, as her intelligence is what earns her a living.
...

A lot of individuals who suffer from depression (and bipolar disorder) are HIGHLY intelligent individuals.

I'm glad to hear abut your update and to hear that your cousin is being very proactive in helping herself.

spoiled_brat · Nov 4th, 2009, 12:06 PM

I wish your cousin the best! Please keep us updated.

karmenzsofia · Nov 4th, 2009, 01:01 PM

Thank you all! This has been a very difficult situation. I'm worried about the cognitive thing and plan to research it for her. Ever since she decided to look into ECT and started making calls, going to appts., etc, her mood has improved, and I think it's because it gives her a new opportunity for hope. She knows it's not a cure, that it might not help at all, that relapses are almost certain, that most people still have to take meds (though she's hoping to be able to stop at least some of the meds she's been taking), and that they also usually have to go back for more ECT every so often to either prevent or treat relapses. I wish she didn't have to do this, but when nothing else makes enough of a difference, what else is there to do?

~Fabulousity~ · Nov 4th, 2009, 02:16 PM

wow sorry to hear about your cousin, I hope this treatment works for her.

karmenzsofia · Nov 4th, 2009, 02:20 PM

^ Thanks, domlee, kansashalo, spoiled_brat and fabulosity

Oct 20th, 2009, 11:30 PM	#31
rainedrop1019 To buy or not to buy Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 932	^^ Agreed! KZ - I'm sorry I don't have anything to contribute. All I have are thoughts, and prayers. You're a very strong woman and your cousin is very lucky to have you by her side. Please do give us an update on how everything goes.
	__________________ 5 bags in 2 months: Rainedrop is in trouble! Does anyone have tips on how to smuggle bags into the house......? SO Wine MAC - In Production!

Oct 20th, 2009, 11:51 PM	#32
HauteMama Member Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 6,834	I do not have any actual knowledge to contribute. However, my mother's best friend's son (he was like a cousin to me growing up, and we saw that family all the time) was depressed from the time he was a teen. He was brilliant, but dropped out of college and couldn't hold a steady job. He became involved in a cult-like situation for a while, looking for any meaning for his life. He had been prescribed many meds and combinations of meds over the years, but nothing helped much. His doctors had just suggested ECT, and he and his family were considering it, but he lost his battle before they could proceed. He committed suicide in his bedroom at his parent's home. So while I don't know much of anything about the procedure and whether it could work or not, I do know that I'd give an awful lot for Mark to have been able to try it.
HauteMama Member Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 6,834

Oct 21st, 2009, 12:01 AM	#33
karmenzsofia OP Life is Plan Z Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Tarot Card Posts: 14,886	Gosh, HM, I'm so sorry to hear about your like-cousin. How devastating it must have been for him to endure so many years of anguish and for the family to watch helplessly as he deteriorated. Who knows if ECT would've helped him... Thanks for sharing your story. Depression is a horrific disease--not of the mind, as many think, and not even the brain, as recent research is showing, but of the whole body. It ranks as the second most disabling disease in western countries, and expected to be also 2nd worldwide by 2020.
	__________________ Satisfied but wishing 4 a WTM Mini and an AP ~~* Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Or, more importantly, is it funny?

Oct 21st, 2009, 11:21 PM	#35
karmenzsofia OP Life is Plan Z Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Tarot Card Posts: 14,886	Update: She spoke to her doctor today, and he, too, recommended ECT, felt confident it would be worth trying for her, and gave her a couple of names to call. They don't just automatically agree to give that treatment to just anyone, so ultimately it'll be up to the ECT doctor when they meet, if they meet. She called one of them today and is supposed to hear back tomorrow. We'll see...
	__________________ Satisfied but wishing 4 a WTM Mini and an AP ~~* Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Or, more importantly, is it funny?

Oct 21st, 2009, 11:56 PM	#36
Hally Member Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 375	Thanks for the update. I really hope she finds some relief from her depression. Do you mind me asking how old she is?
Hally Member Joined: Jan 2009 Posts: 375

Oct 21st, 2009, 11:10 PM	#34
babieejae1101 Banned from shopping Joined: Nov 2006 Location: The middle of the desert, AZ Posts: 1,012	I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin. . I hope that she is able to get the help that she needs and feels better soon. I wish I could offer more advice, but I didn't know they still used ECT. I haven't heard anything about it in years. My grandparents' neighbor was living with Schizophrenia and got it in the 60's and 70's.

Nov 3rd, 2009, 11:51 PM	#37
soshesaid Member Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 803	First of all, I'd like to say that I am truly sorry that your cousin has to go through this depression. Since you asked for opinions, either positive or negative, I thought I should add my experience with a friend who had ECT. He was a very very intelligent (tested for gifted and talented IQ) and talented person. He was also very depressed in high school. His parents decided on ECT as the treatment. And I know that after receiving the treatment, he at times became inexplicably violent, disproportionate to the situation. He was able to function on a daily basis slightly better than he had when he was severely depressed. He could hold down a job. But I can imagine that reacting violently in a somewhat unpredictable way can have very negative, possibly illegal consequences. He was not the type to be violent AT ALL before the ECT. Imagine a musician type of guy ... very quiet and introverted. I know everyone reacts differently, this was just my personal experience with someone who received ECT.
	__________________ As long as you know men are like children, you know everything. - Coco Chanel

Nov 4th, 2009, 12:11 AM	#38
MandM Member Joined: Mar 2006 Location: the middle of Pennsylvania Posts: 1,868	Andy Behrman wrote a very favorable account of his treatment for bi-polar disorder with ECT in "Electroboy: a Memoir of Mania". Like everyone has said, ECT is nothing like the older movie versions...and this author really feels like it saved him. I just hope that your cousin gets some sort of useful help. If she's truly suicidal, then maybe she should be hospitalized? Even if she doesn't want to be? She is thinking that suicide is "rational" and "logical" right now precisely because she's clinically depressed. Meanwhile, the fact that she is concerned about the possibility that ECT could damage her health shows that -- on some level -- she still has a sense of self-preservation and a desire to live and be healthy. Keeping her safe in a hospital might be upsetting to her right now...but ultimately she might be grateful if it keeps her alive long enough to see that her life still has some meaning. Anyway, if the idea of ECT gives her any sense of hope...then I'd think that alone could be a good thing. From your description it sounds like she's barely hanging on and really needs something to keep her going. (btw, I teach a uni class on the history of psychiatry -- which is very different from actually being a doctor! -- so I'm just giving some personal ideas, nothing professional).
	__________________ http://www.firstgiving.com/marymiles

Nov 4th, 2009, 12:52 AM	#39
karmenzsofia OP Life is Plan Z Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Tarot Card Posts: 14,886	Oh, wow...I forgot about the thread! Thanks for bringing it up again and for the info the two of you provided. My cousin had an ECT consultation with the psychiatrist/neurologist last week, got her labs done, and just today told me she got medical clearance to start next week. She has done enough research to make an informed decision, but she wants to read more personal accounts, though she understands that there's no way of knowing whether or not it will help her or make matters worse without trying it because everyone is different. In addition, whether someone improves or not, the side effects also vary from person to person. The memory loss seems to be minor in most people, but what if you're the kind of person who ends up with disabling memory loss? Still, the one thing that she's truly concerned about is the possibility of cognitive deficits post ECT. She's extremely intelligent and has a high IQ (it must run in the family! ), and that's the one thing the Dr. is also concerned about kuz it would affect her employability, as her intelligence is what earns her a living. She's also still trying to find people to drive her back and forth three times a week for the treatments, and that's no easy task kuz everyone is working, busy, whatever. MandM: I would LOVE to take your class!!!
	__________________ Satisfied but wishing 4 a WTM Mini and an AP ~~* Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Or, more importantly, is it funny?

Nov 4th, 2009, 08:18 AM	#40
Kansashalo Memories! Joined: Sep 2006 Location: USA Posts: 3,603	/\ I wish your cousin the best.
	__________________

Nov 4th, 2009, 12:06 PM	#42
spoiled_brat not spoiled enough Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 2,184	I wish your cousin the best! Please keep us updated.

Nov 4th, 2009, 01:01 PM	#43
karmenzsofia OP Life is Plan Z Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Tarot Card Posts: 14,886	Thank you all! This has been a very difficult situation. I'm worried about the cognitive thing and plan to research it for her. Ever since she decided to look into ECT and started making calls, going to appts., etc, her mood has improved, and I think it's because it gives her a new opportunity for hope. She knows it's not a cure, that it might not help at all, that relapses are almost certain, that most people still have to take meds (though she's hoping to be able to stop at least some of the meds she's been taking), and that they also usually have to go back for more ECT every so often to either prevent or treat relapses. I wish she didn't have to do this, but when nothing else makes enough of a difference, what else is there to do?
	__________________ Satisfied but wishing 4 a WTM Mini and an AP ~~* Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Or, more importantly, is it funny?

Nov 4th, 2009, 02:16 PM	#44
~Fabulousity~ Member Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 12,911	wow sorry to hear about your cousin, I hope this treatment works for her.
~Fabulousity~ Member Joined: Jan 2006 Posts: 12,911

Nov 4th, 2009, 02:20 PM	#45
karmenzsofia OP Life is Plan Z Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Tarot Card Posts: 14,886	^ Thanks, domlee, kansashalo, spoiled_brat and fabulosity
	__________________ Satisfied but wishing 4 a WTM Mini and an AP ~~* Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Or, more importantly, is it funny?

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