Posted by med_empowered on August 12, 2005, at 16:21:27
In reply to Had my first ECT and don't know what to do next, posted by denise1966 on August 12, 2005, at 15:13:44
hey! First off, let me be entirely honest and say I'm not a big fan of ECT; I have family members and friends who have done it, and I'm just not impressed...the results don't seem too impressive, especially given the potenital for adverse reactions (which seem to be VERY under-reported) and the enormous expense in terms of time and money that are involved. Now...with that...I think if you're unsure about continuing with ECT, and you think a less aggressive approach (therapy, medications, etc.) *could* be helpful, you owe it to yourself to pursue that option--Option A is what I think you call it. Your shrink might be irritated, that's understandable, but remember: it is YOUR life. Your decision to stop ECT and go back to medication-based therapy might be a hassle for your shrink, but hey--she gets paid to make YOU and her other patients better. If she seems terribly irritated, I'd recommend finding someone else...this is YOUR treatment; she's just there to help you get better. Resuming medication-based treatment will involve waiting for the meds to work, and some meds may not work well for you or may not work at all...unfortunately, that's the way it works. But, if you hang in there, and you have a doctor who is also willing to aggressively treat your condition, which may involve adjusting and changing meds for a while, the odds of finding a useful, effective treatment program should be very good. Again, if your doctor seems impatient with you, or irritated or is otherwise unhelpful in helping you make the progress you want and need to make, please get a different doctor *as soon as possible*. This is YOUR life--there is no sense in spending energy on dealing with unprofessional, callous doctors when that same energy can be (and should be) directed towards building a better life for yourself. You don't owe your shrink ANYTHING. As for being indecisive about what to do...that's completely understandable. Depression is tough, especially when you're not seeing enough progress. Try to accept that you don't know for sure what will work, what won't work, what's best--face it: even shrinks can't predict what will or won't work for any given patient, so why SHOULDN'T you be indecisive? Here's what I do when it comes to tricky situations, both those dealing with my treatment (I have an odd form of Bipolar Disorder, along with some secondary "issues") and any other situations that might arise...try to formulate a very clear goal of how you want to feel, how you want your life to be. Then, try to dig up information on how you can get there--the potential methods of moving from Point "A" to Point "B". Try to get the most in-depth, objective information you can find. Then, try to evaluate each method on its merits--potential side effects, costs, how effective it is--and compare to other available methods. With something as major as ECT, its also important to think *long-term*. In 20 years, where would you like to be? Are the potential reactions to a given treatment acceptable to you, or are they simply not something you could live with? Also, I've found that "thinking outside the box" has helped me a *whole* lot. For example...one thing that has helped my bipolar "issues," more than any medication or therapy, is finding something meaningful and fulfilling to do with my time and energy--for me, its writing and volunteering. I'm schedule to consult with a doc who does a lot of "alternative" (herbs, vitamins, and innovative counselling/therapy methods) work with psychiatric issues. It may or may not work, and I accept that, but I also came to the conclusion that since this is *my* life and *my* problem, I'm going to search for the best treatment for *me*, regardless of whether or not they are "conventional" or "accepted". With problems like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe, treatment resistant depression, it makes sense to be very, very thorough in your search for help; what benefit do you get, really, from allowing your quest for happiness to be confined to the "usual" program? Anyway, whatever you decide to do, I wish you well. Please post to let everybody know how you're doing.
poster:med_empowered
thread:540762
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050811/msgs/540807.html