Hey Doc, I just wanted to say that I began ECT last week because of your video, and because of you I've started on the road to recovery. Thank you.

Im 43 years old. I had ECT. I've had 82 in total. 72 were to treat medication resistant deppression. The last 10 were because i was manic , and medication resistant again. I was diagnosed with schizo-effective disorder and Dissociatve Identity Disorder. It did take a long time for my brain to heal every time, and I personally never truly healed from them, but i never had a choice in any of it. It was all done against my will, and I feel it took my relationship with music and God away. It spiritually killed me every time and gave me terrible headaches. I also was incontinent every time I had ECT. I would wake up soaked even if I relieved myself before the treatment. Yes, it did help... But i think it did a lot of damage, too. That's my story. It's a sad one, but mine.

I did 6 treatments as an inpatient, now 1 treatment a week for the last 6 treatments. Took away the suffering of medication-resistant depression

I was on an over prescribed amount of antidepressants and I was still feeling so so depressed and crying all the time . I've had 6 rounds of ECT so far and I feel like a brand new version of me ! The lights really came on after the 4th session ! I can't recommend it enough !! It has been life changing for me !

I first started ECT in 2015, I was 100% convinced that my experience would be what it was like in One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest. I’m glad that my then psychiatrist talked me out of that mindset. For a long period of time all the doctors I saw were convinced that my depression was treatment resistant, all though it took years, I’m now a functioning human being! I completed my Diploma of Nursing, working as an Enrolled Nurse and am now halfway through my RN’s at QUT (which has been a goal of mine since high school). Honestly the combination of ECT and TMS have been lifesaving for me. I really, wholeheartedly believe that I would not be here right now without ECT. My next goal once I graduate as an RN will be to do further training to work in ECT. That’s honestly how much I believe in this treatment.

My sister had six ECT treatments two years ago after being diagnosed as ‘treatment resistant’. She has never been the same since. I miss the person she was. ECT is brutal.

Thank you for creating a video about ECT. It needs to be talked about more (both the pros and cons). One thing I would say as someone who has had ECT is that it makes me really sad that memory loss is not talked about more and does not seem to be studied in a more nuanced way (for example, studies really differentiating the number of times someone has had it and how that might change the intensity of side effects). It makes me very sad how dismissive doctors can be of patients' reporting of memory issues. Most things I've seen written by doctors and researchers about ECT say things like "well depression causes memory issues too", but I can tell you that is not what I'm talking about when I talk about memory loss. I had 31 treatments over about 5 months. According to my records at least some (maybe most?) were bitemporal. This was 8 years ago. I STILL can't encode short-term memory well. It is like living in a semi-perpetual present. And some autobiographical memories were just completely wiped. I only find out about them periodically. I've heard people say "well no one remembers what they did X number of years ago", but most people remember when they had a trip with a friend to an amazing national park even if they don't remember everything they did. I have lots of pictures from this apparently amazing trip I went on with my Mom in my thirties that I have no memory of. I look at the pictures and they spark nothing. Zero. It's strange to look at a picture of yourself (a recent picture, not a trip when you were a little kid) and not even remember having gone on a trip at all. When I was first told I went on this trip I literally was like "what are you talking about, we never went there" and when I was showed the pictures I was like "still don't remember doing this". I periodically find out about other experiences (usually experiences with friends or family on trips and things--memorable stuff) that are just lost to me and I only find out I did them when someone tells me (it's like hearing about someone else's life). I don't know if ECT saved me or not. I'd like to think it did. I'd like to think that losing parts of myself and having the struggle with short term memory encoding was a good trade off for the alternative of being dead or locked up. I have to believe that or I would be angry. I just wish our lost memories and our current memory struggles were not dismissed, especially when it seems like most of the studies that study memory loss with ECT have a lot of holes in them (irony intended). I appreciate you talking on this topic and I hope as you continue your work with patients you will keep this in mind. We're not making it up and not everyone's memory losses (and inability to encode new memories) are from depression (I haven't had depression in 8 years, thanks ECT!). The losses and ongoing struggles with memory are real. And it can be very painful to accept and a struggle to live with it, even if it is better than the alternative of having never had ECT. And I imagine there is a big difference in terms of side effects between going through 6-12 treatments and going through 31 over a short period...but so far I have found almost nothing that really looks at those differences. Also, I don't know why this happened but when I had the muscle relaxant given to me it always seemed to affect me before the anesthetic (or else they gave it to me that way?) so I felt like I couldn't breathe before they put me under. EVERY TIME. It was absolutely terrifying and went on for months and 8 years later can still pop up at random moments (like starting to get a panic attack at the dentists when I am laid down flat the way you are laid down with ECT). Again, not saying ECT shouldn't be used. I'm sure it saves a lot of us. But please, please don't minimize patients' experiences when it comes to memory loss. We gave up a lot for the chance to live.

Thank you for putting this video out. I went through a first course of ECT about 5 years ago and a second course 3 years ago as an inpatient. When I went through it I couldn't find much on here about it and was afraid. ECT really helped me. I still struggle with my mental health but at a good baseline and able to live and work properly.

I lost fifteen years of memory, the memories of my son growing up. The brain damage happens on a cellular level. Do some research on that. Do research with people whose side effects never went away. Talk to them. The consent does not talk about the possibility of permanent side effects!

Potential long term effects are not talked about. Although it has helped me it has taken my ability to member everyday things, remembering conversation, the inability to concetrate for longer than a few minutes and everything after that is a blurr. These side affects are not talked about or admitted. So if you dont know the possible side affects i am 1 of millions of people who have theses side affects. My life is embarrassing living with this.

I have had a set of 12 ECT treatments (in 6 weeks time, this is in the Netherlands) for a medication resistant depression/ptsd. I would not recommend ECT. There are too many unknowns and a lot of side effects/damage that isn't talked about. I had a temporary relief of symptoms. But within weeks all positive effects where gone. Left with headaches, memory loss from the last 2/3 years and still trouble retaining new information. Broken teeth from the ECT seizures, no period for months, hormone inbalance after ECT. And psychiatrist that where not willing to hear about the negative of ECT. I know several other patients who have had the same experience as me. It can be successful for some. But at what cost? And is it worth the risks? Are you informed about the risks and unknowns? Are there better alternatives? Can a patient in such despair ( all other treatments failed before ECT) give proper concent to such a risky treatment? If i knew then what i know now, i would have never done it. Just some food for thought.

I started ECT on the 10th of this month and it's been a lot more helpful than most of the medications I've ever taken. And I've seen more results from it too.

I had a series of inpatient ECT in 2017. I woke after with no memory of who I was or where I was which continued for most of the day. Eventually the memory of who I was trickled back in but I was still confused. My suicidal depression was better by the time I was released but my memories short and long term were cloudy and to this day I have trouble understanding people, concentrating, making new memories and many other things. And by the end of that year my depression was back.

This is so interesting. Thanks for the video and cheers from Switzerland! 💜

Thank you. I met with my Dr today and did my labs, EKG, X-rays etc and my first treatment is on Monday. I wanted to do research and you helped relax me a lot by explaining things.

For how safe and effective they are??? I lost 11 years of memory. Absolute retrograde amnesia. Nothing. No photos bring back memories. I suffer from fatigue, speech problems. And it wasn't effective.. I didn't recover from PTSD /major depression from it. Be so so careful with your facts Dr Syl!! Yes, it's helpful for some but there ARE risks!!!!!! Why are you not giving people the right info so they can make informed choice.

I'm no doctor but one of my very close friends went through ECT and his condition got way worse!! And since he has not been the same, also there were an elderly women who died of ECT here in Denmark. Before you go down this road, do your research!!

ECT was incredibly traumatic for me and in my experience, it absolutely was a form of abuse. It absolutely did cause brain damage. I am concerned over the misinformation in this video, especially when a professional is providing information that contradicts the lived experience of survivors. The attitudes surrounding ECT can be summarized as follows: professionals who promote ECT because they benefit and profit off of their patients in the for-profit business of mental health, patients who benefit from ECT because they haven't found an alternative option, and people who's lives were destroyed by ECT. People deserve to be provided with fair and accurate information and this video is not it.

Start talking to people whose side effects never got better PLEASE DONT IGNORE THIS GROUP. We need help and no one is listening to us

ECT destroyed me. I used to be able to drive and fly... now i have no idea what to do. I used to be able to do calculus, now i cannot count past 30. I used to be able to write, now i no longer have the hand motor skills to do that. I also have a constant headache (24/7) and motion sickness which means that I have to lay down for about 17 hours a day. I have no memories of my parents or my childhood. Cannot cook or wash my self very well. Life is over.

Thank you for this excellent overview and informative video discussion. So very helpful. May God bless you.

"People who have failed..." yeah, if the patient isn't getting better, they failed, right?!? Psychiatrists are so delusional, I don't know where to start... Neurotoxic drugs not working, ect not working, condition worse = patient's guilt, the patient failed. Disgusting. I don't know from which cave shrinks come, but taking accountability for mistakes is taught in kindergarden at latest... Maybe you all should repeat those important education steps. 😂

I really appreciated watching this video Dr Syl before doing ect. It helped me feel more comfortable about starting ect. I definitely didn’t find the experience scary. I did have memory loss but it’s just been recent memories nothing too worrying.

ECT saved my daughter’s life

I'm glad you mentioned it being different with inpatient vs. outpatient. I SO BADLY wish my providers had prepared me better for how debilitating it would be. They didn't tell me I'd have to basically stop working completely. I lost my job bc I'd used all my FMLA and they refused to accommodate a part time schedule while I received treatment. My spouse lost his job bc he missed too many days having to drive me to treatments. There was no advice to seek disability. Just sent me on my way. PLEASE help patients with the logistics in their life if recommending this as outpatient.

One question pops up for me. If this is so good, why not treat everyone with ECT instead of taking medication?

Just want to throw this out there. I'm not saying that this will be the same for everybody but it's a year since my last treatment which I had 26. I'm still struggling with short-term memory loss and I shouldn't be but I am it's pretty bad

Very informative video. I start ECT treatments in about 2 weeks. I'm at that point where I just have to try something else. Really enjoyed this video and your voice is so incredibly soothing... you could do guided meditation videos. Thanks again for making such a comprehensive video. It answered a lot of my questions.

Exactly the type of video I was looking for as an ECT patient with a degree in psychology. Thank you so much for sharing this, doc!

I’ve had 3 series of ECT. My first was a series of 7. Then, I had 2 series of 12. This was over a period of 10 years. I’ve had both bilateral and unilateral ECT. I can tell you it works. I had short term memory loss around the time of my treatments, but I recovered quickly. It’s the only thing that has helped my depression. I’ve also seen it work miracles for bipolar disorder with other patients. I’d suggest it to anyone.

Unfortunately, I've seen psychiatrists (in Germany and the UK) been way too conservative about prescribing depression treatments, not just about ECT (basically unheard of, idk where you'd have to be at with your illness to get that!) but also any medications other than SSRIs. Several of my friends have had their doctors prescribe yet another SSRI after the first, second, third or fourth try didn't work, which ofc always comes with another 8 weeks or more of new side effects and probably no improvement, scaling up the dosis and waiting some more and so forth. It's made me very jaded, IMO doctors can easily forget that a depressive episode is hell for a patient to go through, but for the doctor of course waiting some more comes at virtually no cost. If you don't aggressively doctor shop or advocate for other medication classes (hard to do when depressed) it's easy to end up in a place where your psychiatrist is not helpful at all.

This shit destroyed me and my life. Dont do it.

It would be so interesting to hear you talk about ketamine therapy!

Where is the research showing that ECT is safe and effective?

Sent a patient to the hospital for ECT. Patient was in catatonia, starving to death. Think he has had about 6 treatments and is able to talk and eat now.

Hi Dr.Syl, My sister has Down’s syndrome but she’s very high functioning. She has been resistant to different medications needed for psychosis, hearing voices that tell her to harm herself, she has paranoia and depression for the past 2 years. My question is, would ECT be a contra indication because of having Down’s Sundrome? She is 53 with no heart issues but she is obese due to the medications. Thanks for your help.

It saved my life as well

Loving the psych ASMR!!!

You don’t know what it does to people unless you get it done to yourself. I have heard that ECT is good, but doctor, you never had it done to yourself?

do you think ect would have any affect on a patient in a vegetative state?

This is not correct. If it doesn't cause brain damage why do people have so much memory loss?

ECT works by severing synaptic connections and causing synaptic genesis supposedly modifying behaviour but comes at a cost of memory loss and after 50 times mild Tbi and not enough long term study on effects on cognition. Tms seems a lot safer

You said that you would receive ETC if u were sick or otherwise. Be true to your words and do it, and than talk about it ok.

ECT saved my husbands life.

Sounds really scetchy

Safe and effective? Where are the empiracle studies and data?

Electrical treatments are also done to a heart that has repetitive life threatening rhythms.

I have a friend who did this, she now has memory issues so anyone thinking about this please be aware. I really wish more research would be done into psychoactive drugs like mushrooms tho, it does a very similar thing in how it rewires your brain and you don’t have to go through a seizure to experience it

I had 25 bitemporal session of ECT for treatment resistant bipolar. It would only work for a few weeks for me. It had an atypical reaction to my memory, causing pretty severe memory loss(doctors statment). I also did ketamine for around 5 of the treatments but then I had a reaction to the ketamine. I don't regret trying it. I know it's safe and effective and I try to destigmitize it when I talk to people.

Lithium can screw up your thyroid. ECT was given for many years without the informed consent of the patient.

I know you probably mean well, but you should not recommend this treatment to anyone. ECT involves applying electrodes to a person’s scalp and then passing electrical current through the skull and brain tissue to induce a seizure. This is what constitutes a so called “treatment”. At the push of a button psychiatrists shoot up to 460 volts of electricity through the skull to produce a grand mal seizure that can sometimes last up to 30 minutes. This is many times stronger than the voltage one would get even if they stuck their finger into a light socket. To put that into context, 450 volts is enough to power 5 stadium lights on a football field. ECT machines generate nearly 403 times the electrical current of a stun gun and 450 times that of a cattle prod. The brain trauma caused by one session of electroshock is equivalent to the force of dropping a 40 pound cinder block from 7 1/2 feet onto the head. That’s why patients often wake up from the procedure with a headache and severe memory loss. ECT literally fries the brain by heating up neurons to the point where they become damaged or get too hot and die. When an electric current flows through the brain, the electrical energy is converted into heat, raising the temperature of the brain. The larger the current, the more heat is produced. If the temperature gets too high the cells suffer temporary injury, permanent damage, or even death. ECT causes certain areas of the brain to literally waste away, just like someone with Alzheimer’s. The cognitive impairment, memory issues, amnesia, headaches and euphoria are all due to the side effects of head trauma and electrical injury. In an attempt to heal itself from catastrophic damage, the brain releases chemicals which can temporarily create a sense of euphoria, but this eventually wears off leaving people with permanent cognitive impairment. Rather than being a marker for improvement, the euphoria is a symptom of brain damage. Many people who get ECT end up on disability because they are unable to work or function in society anymore. Others require years of speech therapy. Quite frequently people will forget their names, their identity, their family and friends. They might come home and not know who their children are or remember getting married. ECT can erase precious memories and obliterate years of education. There are lawyers who can no longer practice law and doctors who are unable practice medicine. One woman needed a service dog after ECT because she would leave her house to get the mail and forget where she lived. Another man forgot how to tie his shoe laces. It’s terrible. Yes it’s true that you can electrically shock someone out of their so called ‘crazy’ mind… but you don’t shock them back to their ‘right’ mind, you shock them into a ‘shocked’ mind. The biggest mystery of all is why on earth people think that sending bolts of electricity through a persons head is a good idea. First of all, there is no such thing as a “therapeutic”seizure. When you’re in a hospital and someone comes in with a seizure, that is a bona fide emergency and doctors hop right in to try and stop the seizure immediately. Mainstream physicians go to great lengths to prevent seizures. The idea is to prevent them so it doesn’t cause brain damage, because it’s recognized that seizure activity promotes brain damage. The more seizures a person has, the more potential there is for cognitive decline and neurological dysfunctions. ECT comes with more dangers than just the electricity. The drug they use as a relaxant in the U.S during electroshock is the same drug used for lethal injections. This drug is called Succinylcholine. It paralyzes all the muscles of the body, except for the heart. Due to it’s effectiveness at stopping breathing, it’s regularly given in the execution of prisoners on death row. When a patient receives ECT, this drug also paralyzes their breathing, which is why the anesthesiologist has to ventilate the patient during the procedure. Electroshock is still every bit as brutal as it always has been, and the result remains the same- a grand mal seizure and brain damage. The only thing different about modern day electroshock is that anesthesia and paralyzing agents were added to suppress the patients convulsions. The anesthesia does nothing to protect a patient’s brain. The anaesthetics and paralysing agents are simply used to make ECT appear less barbaric for the benefit of the person observing the procedure. Psychiatrists are not electrical engineers so they don’t understand the effects that electro currents can have on human tissue. They are trained to set the knobs and press the buttons, they aren’t taught the ramifications of what it’s doing. It takes about $500- $1000 to make an ECT machine and around $20,000 to sell it. The more sessions you have, the more money a psychiatrist makes. ECT has nothing to do with medicine or helping the patients, it’s about making money at the expense of vulnerable people.

Thank you for this video.

So, which of the sham ECT studies you cite showed a benefit over sham a month after the end of treatment? I hope you have at least one!

Thank you.

A lot of people have no idea how severe and serious depression can be, and why ECT would be needed for it and not schizophrenia (the one condition they’re sure to bang on about instead, not knowing that depression can be psychotic, catatonic and at least severe, too). It’s always fun watching ignorant people like that be educated and humbled, and young doctors not brainwashed against it. This is a treatment that literally does a Lazarus on people and brings them back from good-as dead.

I am epileptic and my neurologist axed the idea of triggering seizures on purpose. I am pushing for Ketamine therapy, and if I can't or it doesn't work. I am done.

Excellent presentation, thanks Dr. Sly. I have suffered with Bi-Polar may years. At the time I was offered ECT to deal with depression but declined. More recently I was diagnosed with Parkinsons. I have had Deep Brain Stimulator implants. Would someone in this situation be an eligable candidate with these implants?

Relaxing voice

Quackery!

This is a barbaric and morbid practice that should not even exist anymore. This will save you at the cost of your memories.

Hey, great video. Really good, thorough and easily understood. I wonder if you could you tell us a little bit about TMS in a future video? In particular, your thoughts on the efficacy.

Does it damage eye vision ? Or is it safe for Patient had cornia transplant(more than 2 years)?

Is ECT can rewire the brain neurons ? Like changing strong and old thoughts ?

I live about an hour away from a university hospital that offers this but, I can get in to try it. (Has to be in patient only). That's really hard to deal with, when nothing else has worked. TMS doesn't work and I don't have access to Ketamine unfortunately. So, I'm just stuck waiting for...idk what.

When my Dr did ECT on me he did something to my brain and now he's using a device to harass me and try to drive me crazy. He always was so nice to me I didn't realize he was a psychopath.

Have they tried VNS? The GA would concern me the most.

The original methodology of how ECT worked is that it wiped out negative memories and that people that had seizure disorders did not get depression so they assumed the negative memory wipeout and inducing seizures was beneficial for patients the new methodology of how ECT works is that it wipes out maladaptive synaptic connections in the brain modifying behaviour and promotes synaptic genesis and that having seizures improve mood though resetting brain circuits all this comes with side effects that should not be taken lighty and informed consent is a must do your research for a small majority of people that get ECT 50 to 100 times the memory and cognitive problems can get pretty bad and there is not enough long term study on effects.

I may have missed this in the video. Will it help schizoaffective disorder depression type without bipolar or mania (no ups) ?

I have no doubt that you actually believe you're helping people. But that doesn't change the fact that this is actually evil. Ethics matter. Honesty matters. Presuppositions matter.

Does it help with parkinson desease?

Handsome host! :-)

I'm addicted to bromazolam 50mg per day. The equivalent of about 250-300mg diazepam every day. During every ECT session they just gave me flumazenil and they said there were no problems inducing the seizures. I also probably have increased intracranial pressure because I have a central hypoventilation syndrome (I know, nice combo with the benzo's) but still got the ECT's.

So there should

CBT

Unfortunately ECT can change the structure of your brain resulting in people, academics knowingly losing the ability to practice there educated path.

This is all lies!! I’ve seen what happened to someone close to me. They are zombies afterwards!!

This is a scary thing that is casually promoted . Effective but is it humane?

its linked to adhd can fix my fontal lobe as doing and think is gangster and all but one wrong move in a world like this jail

Handsome man

Ketamine--subanesthetic .5 mg./kg. To 1.2 mg. /Kg. Is superior to ECT; seizures = concussion. Initially created for schizophrenia, smh. Thanks for listening..... 👍😀👍

DON'T DO IT!

I really appreciated watching this video Dr Syl before doing ect. It helped me feel more comfortable about starting ect. I definitely didn’t find the experience scary. I did have memory loss but it’s just been recent memories nothing too worrying.

I really appreciated watching this video Dr Syl before doing ect. It helped me feel more comfortable about starting ect. I definitely didn’t find the experience scary. I did have memory loss but it’s just been recent memories nothing too worrying.

I really appreciated watching this video Dr Syl before doing ect. It helped me feel more comfortable about starting ect. I definitely didn’t find the experience scary. I did have memory loss but it’s just been recent memories nothing too worrying.

I really appreciated watching this video Dr Syl before doing ect. It helped me feel more comfortable about starting ect. I definitely didn’t find the experience scary. I did have memory loss but it’s just been recent memories nothing too worrying.