Ect and memory loss

What are the effects of ECT on memory? How long does memory loss last after ECT? How to prevent memory loss with age? Many patients had very conflicted feelings about ECT , lead researcher.

Memory loss is the primary side effect associated with ECT treatment.

Overall cognitive functioning was unchanged after ECT. Significant improvement in total and backward digit span (measures of short-term memory ) at 6-month follow-up was significant initially but not after correction for improvement of depression. There are a few positive stories stating that ECT saved them from a deadly deluge of multiple suicide attempts.

But there are more stories shared detailing the trauma of memory loss , and how such profound damage to the self was not worth it. I want to believe my psychiatrist and my doctor are competent, but I can’t forgive them for putting me through ECT. While this was incredibly successful at finally breaking my depression it resulted in severe memory loss of the two years prior to ect as well as ongoing difficulty with building new memories.

Besides random events of those lost years, I remember almost nothing.

Erased as though my mind was a chalkboard. ECT often works when other treatments are unsuccessful and when the full course of treatment is complete but it may not work for everyone. Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were administered without anesthesia, leading to memory loss , fractured bones and other serious side effects. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for both the manic and depressed phases of bipolar disorder (BD) and is included as an option for refractory BD in the algorithms of several published guidelines.

A major concern regarding ECT as a treatment option is generally not whether it is effective but whether it is associated with long-term cognitive changes, particularly in various memory systems. The effect of ECT on memory continues to be studie 7–discussed and debated. It can totally deconstruct your identity and reduce you to a dependent, chronically confused mess who may never be able to work again, have an intelligent conversation, or do basic tasks without help. ECT alters brain chemistry, which can reverse the symptoms of depression and other mental illnesses. Many people experience memory loss after having ECT.

Some people find this only lasts for a short time and their memories gradually return as they recover from ECT. But some people experience more long-lasting or permanent memory loss , including losing personal memories or forgetting information they need to continue in their career or make sense of their personal relationships. Some who consider ECT worry about memory loss.

Members of our local Dallas ECT support group, ConnECT, report some short-term memory issues around the time that ECT was administere but no. The cause for the significant gap between research and anecdotal evidence regarding the extent of some memory loss after electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) has never been adequately explained. I will start by saying I am not a doctor but have personally undergone ECT.

Based on my experience as well as education I would say that while under going treatment my ability to form long term memories was impaired. ECT can cause a degree of memory loss. MEMORY LOSS ECT is a common cause of severe retrograde amnesia, i. The potency of ECT as an amnestic exceeds that of severe closed head injury with coma. ECT is very different today, although it does still pose a risk of side effects, such as confusion and memory loss.

The therapy is far more refine with carefully calculated electrical currents administered in a controlled medical setting to achieve maximum benefits with minimal risks. The top trusted brands for hemp products available at the best prices. Though these side effects are rare and can often be prevented through proper pre-diagnosis, they do add to the controversy of ECT therapy. The author reviews several studies that clarify the nature of the memory loss associated with ECT.

Bilateral ECT produced greater anterograde memory loss than right unilateral ECT and more extensive retrograde amnesia than unilateral ECT. Reactivating memories just before ECT did not produce amnesia. ECT Increasing the Risk of Memory Loss and Dementia There is conflicting research about the effects of ECT on cognition. Some research has found that ECT in older adults vs. Rarely, some patients describe much more significant retrograde memory loss , but with advances in ECT , this is much less common and usually only occurs in cases of severe illness and long or repeated courses of ECT.

Two different kinds of memory loss may occur during the course of ECT treatments. The first is the loss of short-term memory during the period of time that you are having ECT treatments. Some examples of short-term memory loss include forgetting what you had for lunch or not remembering talking to someone earlier in the day.

THE COGNITIVE adverse effects of electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) limit its use. The most persistent adverse effect is retrograde amnesia. Shortly after ECT , most patients have gaps in their memory for events that occurred close in time to the course of ECT , but the amnesia may extend back several months or years. Retrograde amnesia usually improves during the first few months after ECT.

My son had ECT a few years ago, about rounds. He had no memory loss , unfortunately it was unsuccessful. There was a program on SBS insight a little over a year ago on ECT treatment that you can get online. Unilateral ECT may be used first to minimize side effects such as memory loss.

In bilateral ECT , the two electrodes are placed on opposite sides of the head. Usually bitemporal placement is use whereby the electrodes are placed on the temples.