Posted by Declan on May 4, 2005, at 23:40:21
In reply to Long-Term ECT/ maintinance ECT??, posted by Lydia on May 4, 2005, at 5:14:32
Hi Lydia
My mother was dignosed with agitated depression. After admission the order of things was:
Aurorix/moclobemide......no use.
Zoloft......worked a bit but caused a tremor, discontinued.
ECT...many treatments, >10
Effexor.
Eventually something worked and, interestingly, it was only when maintenance ECT was being recommended by her psych that she very slowly began not to get worse, and then to get better. I was absolutely appalled, and would have had more faith in her doctors if they had not been so, for want of a better expression, psychologically illiterate. Nobody could talk properly to her. Because I had been depressed/drug addicted and had 15 years psychodynamic therapy (I suppose) I was able to better understand her distress. She wasn't psychotic, but certainly could have seemed so. Anyway what I'm trying to get to is that I had the idea that the depression just burned itself out. And maybe also Effexor. She was in the psych hospital 9 months. She was lucky it didn't take longer to get a bit better, but even so I think ECT took slabs away from her and didn't give her much relief beyond 2 days each time. She thought it was murder more or less, and that may have been something that gave her some grim satisfaction. All very bitter. I feel for you and would be beside myself with worry in your position. When you see the person you love being treated with so much uncertainty, inadequacy and guesswork. (No blame implied) Wish I could help.
Declan
poster:Declan
thread:493495
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050504/msgs/493939.html