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Topic: Do you think this is really thinking it through (Read 19 times)

whoami
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Do you think this is really thinking it through
« Result #1 on Apr 4, 2008, 11:12pm »

Personal Considerations of ECT
I. Why might ECT be an option for ME
A. Diagnosed with an illness, with which ECT has been effective
B. Have had multiple med changes and have noticed effectiveness of such medication is finite (up to a maximum of 1 year*)
C. Have undergone personal and group therapy, which has yielded limited and finite results (avg 1-3 years*)
II. What do I expect from ECT
A. An alleviation of depressive symptoms quicker then what has been provided to me through medication, which I expect would allow me to focus and retain information, skills, and strategies provided to me in group/personal therapy; hopefully providing me enough time to become “established, confident, self empowering, and manageable” when depressive symptoms (physical and mental) occur in the future
B. a decreased amount of medication which I have personally found is increasing my risk of relapse in regards to drug/chemical addiction, although ECT has proven to be INEFFECTIVE as a direct treatment for addiction (which also is considered a “disease of the mind”) I feel as though one will lead to the other; meaning [ECT=reduction in physical symptoms of depression= decreased dependency on chemical/drug treatment for physical symptoms= decreased amount of “addictive triggers and or behaviors’= increased percentage of probability that I will not relapse]
C. using a 1-10 scale for how good or bad my days 1 being suicidal and 10 being perfect my average when medication effective and I utilize my “tools” is about 5-6, I expect this average to increase to 7-9 in the short term 1-3 months, 6-9 months I expect this average to plateau to 6-7. Provided I use this time to gain additional success with group/personal therapy I also expect to maintain an average of a ‘solid’ 7, hopefully resulting in little to no ECT, minimal medication, and a greater ability to mange personal issues, stress, etc primarily through continual group/personal therapy.
D. although not a primary expectation I am hopeful ECTs will, in the long term also reduce the financial aspect of managing a mental illness, because ECTs are covered by social health care and medications are not, also provided I use the time I expect ECT will give me to deal with personal issue that affect my professional stability I will have a greater potential of earning more which will ensure the affordability of medications that are still required whether for physical illness such as an infection or depression/anxiety. Money doesn’t buy happiness but it certainly can be defined as a tool to achieve it, if used the right way
III. Do I understand the risks associated with ECT
A. research has educated me on the fact I have a 99.9% chance of temporary short term memory loss which may impede expectations previously noted
B. education as also alerted my to the fact that memory loss whether long or short term has a medium-high risk of permanency, professional research advised this is notable but low, I believe that statement is subjective, I believe this is a very serious side effect to consider; greater then what Drs would like me to believe again this potential side effect may impede certain treatment expectations
C. I also believe there is also a greater potential of horrific brain damage then what Drs would like patients to believe, I think this is a big issue to consider especially if I want keep the level of intelligence group members have noted (I find this hard to accept in myself), this is also a factor to consider with my son and serious questions to consider like, is the potential gain worth the risk of becoming to “retarded” to have a personal relationship with my son
D. Although not proven but may actually exacerbate depression, I believe this to be a very low risk factor
E. 99.9% of confusion, disorientation last up to 3 days after treatment professionals also tend to paint a lighter picture stating the effects only last on average 24 hours
F. Because unmodified ECT is purely out of the question and discouraged by the majority of the western and European medical community all the risks associated with anesthetics, they also give you other drugs known as muscle relaxants which have there own risks as well, I also believe other risk associated with a surgery should be considered, like a tube inserted down your throat during the treatment to assist breathing, which may lead to an infection.
IV. Are there any miscellaneous considerations
A. The diagnosis of major depression may require further corroborating evidence which might require a “visit” to the hospital under Dr Singh’s direct care as this as never occurred all previous visits have been supervised by the attending doctors
B. A deeper evaluation of the results obtained through group/personal therapy I don’t think I should definitely say yes until the results of the IDP program are added to the equation I theorize I should also re-evaluate group/personally therapy after a “vesting” period after IDP, I am thinking about 8 weeks, this based on the rule of thumb medications take about 3-4 weeks to be effective I think it is reasonable to double that expectation with group/personal therapy as therapy requires more motivation and desire to recover then simply taking a pill does.
C. If ECT is given and is successful in my case I seriously have to consider the potential of long term ECTs as studies have effectively proven ECTs are only temporary long term ECT would significantly increase the chances of incurring the health risks that need to be considered
D. The accuracy of my research into personal history is highly debatable due to very incomplete records pre dating Dec 2005
V. What are My conditions that have to met before receiving ECT
A. I would expect the initial trail only be performed in an IN-PATIENT setting, this is to effectively measure the effectiveness of the treatment and to evaluate the adverse affects endured during the treatment
B. Ongoing cognitive assessments to prevent major “damage” the best way I can explain this is when you get a flat tire you stop the car so nothing else gets damaged
C. Consideration of a long term treatment would only result from exceptional effectiveness and minimal adverse effect incurred
Conclusion:
My determination is that ECT is a treatment that I should seriously consider in my battle against depression. I have also concluded further evaluation and research is required before a recommendation can be made, whether for or against the treatment. The last determination is in my opinion, the potential for seriously damaging results are the same with ECT and meds.

Annotations:

* estimated
[] the formula in between the brackets is a hypothesis. In high school science we learned a hypothesis is a theory you believe will be proven after one has conducted the actual experiment, we also learned the true purpose of an experiment is to DISPROVE your hypothesis, it is also important to note that just because one experiment may prove or disprove a hypothesis doesn’t indicate a basis of fact, however the more controls you implement in the experiment the more factual your results potentially become

Reference Material:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/electroconvulsive-therapy/MH00022
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy
http://www.ect.org
http://capa.oise.utoronto.ca
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinf....herapy,ect.aspx
http://www.youtube.com

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