It’s frustrating that that ECT has such a bad reputation, because it really does save lives. It saved mine as well.

I have had memory-related side effects, and probably a lot of that has to do with getting bilateral treatments because unilateral wasn’t working well. Most of the memory loss was temporary, although there were some memories that didn’t come back. Still, that was a small price to pay for the benefits.

I would like to get maintenance ECT as an outpatient, but I just don’t have anyone available to take me home from the hospital and stay with me for the rest of the day. I can understand why hospitals require that, but at the same time it serves as a barrier to access.

Thanks for writing about this important topic!