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2135565 tn?1345948037

Do I need shock therapy?

I have had depression and anxiety since I was 3 years old. I am now 20. I have major depression (recurrent) panic disorder with agoraphobia generalized anxiety disorder avoidant personality disorder and passive aggressive personality disorder PTSD and eating disorder. I have been in treatment for the past 6 years and my levels are still severe. I am on 4 anti-depressants currently, and I have tried many others and dosages. I've done CBT DBT exposure therapy mindfulness meditation yoga. It is really interefering with my life. My therapists think I'm doing fine in my treatment progress, but I feel it's not good enough for me. I want to be normal... NOW. I just want to start living, not existing. Do I need shock therapy? Should I be looking into my past rather than just focusing on putting a bandaid on the present?
1 Responses
480448 tn?1426952138
Hello!  I'm sorry to hear you've had such a long life struggling with these issues.

Let me ask, why do your therapists think you're doing well?  Are you not communicating to them how you're feeling?  If not, you should.

ECT can be very effective as an approach to improving treatment-resistant depression.  Honestly, I'm not real sure if you'd be a candidate with the other disorders you have.  I'm not sure if ECT would affect your other conditions negatively.

ECT is a treatment modality that is kind of used as more of a last resort, after years of trying more traditional approaches.  In that respect, you would probably be a candidate.  

The decision to try ECT is one you have to make carefully, with the input of your doctor...and weighing the pros and cons.  There are some long term effects to consider, the biggest one being memory loss and some cognitive deficits .  Everyone is affected to different degrees, some people are affected only slightly, or not at all.

I think you need to have a frank discussion with your doctor about how you feel, and ask him/her about ECT...if you would be a candidate, and what the risks are.

Good luck hon..let us know how you're doing...and what the doc says.
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