Modern ECT is nothing like the movies. You're under general anesthesia so you're unconscious for the whole thing, and they use a paralytic to make sure you don't convulse and hurt yourself. For my treatments, I usually arrive at the hospital early in the morning and I'm home by lunch time

Good article, but I have 2 comments.

1. I've been dealing with mental illness for a lot longer than I've known I was queer. Not all mental illness is caused by discrimination or other external factors.

2. More context is needed when it comes to co-rumination. LGBTQ+ people are being specifically targeted by legislators, and it would be unreasonable for them not to regularly discuss it in their communities. There's a difference between activism, sharing information, and rumination. I think the article should have taken some time to explain how to identify the differences and how to know when to take a step back and take care of yourself.

Absolutely. I get ECT treatments, where they use electricity to induce a seizure. When you're seizing, usually the only thing that moves is your toes. So what do I do, when my trratment happens to fall on April Fools Day? Superglue googly eyes to my toes so they boggle around as I twitch 👀👁👀👁👀 On normal days I wear goofy socks, usually matching some kind of theme for the nearest holiday or season.

I also brought in a Pikachu sticker to try and put on the ECT machine. I couldn't get away with that, but they did let me put it on the equipment bin that goes along with the machine and the cart it's on. It lightens the mood a bit.

Yep. Some of them will even come over from the other side of the PACU to check out what socks I've got

I've been getting maintenance ketamine treatments for around 2 years or so. I haven't done therapy during one of the treatments, but I imagine that would be very nice.

For me, it feels kinda similar to being drunk. I've never done recreational drugs aside from alcohol in college, so I don't have much to compare it to. Some people get nauseous. Some folks feel like they aren't real or sort of weird. It depends on the person. Just make sure your vitals are being monitored because the blood pressure spike can be pretty intense if you already have hypertension.

What works best for me when I'm in a panic is slow deep breaths in followed by a slow exhale. I always forgot about slowing down the exhale, but it's really important. I started wearing a necklace that's hollow like a straw to help when I'm too freaked out to force myself to do it.

Another tool I learned in counseling is going 5-4-3-2-1 through my senses. 5 things I can see, 4 things I can hear, 3 things I can touch, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing I can taste. You can mix up the senses if you want, and I don't always get through the whole thing, but the act of looking for and naming things I can sense seems to help calm me down. It's a pretty common grounding technique for disassociation.

I tend to get really overwhelmed with tasks and I end up feeling frustrated, useless, and lost. If I'm able to get something done, sometimes it helps me feel better about myself and less freaked out. My partner sent me a tool that helps you break down tasks into smaller more manageable ones . You can adjust the "spiciness" for how much breaking down you need. It might help with the task-based part of what you're struggling with.

As for the other stuff, I highly recommend trying to find a professional counselor. Your doctor who gives you the meds can likely help with a referral. Counselors are usually really helpful for stuff like this.

• Accessible & free public transportation options
• Mixed zoning, so places where people work/eat/shop/etc. can be near where they live

SSRI withdrawal SUCKS. I highly suggest you call your doctor's office first thing when they open next and explain the situation. They might be able to hook you up with "samples" to hold you over until your insurance gets its shit together.

I disagree with the claim that they use high voltage or shock you for 10-15 minutes. Most patients' seizures don't even last for a full 60 seconds, let alone the less-than-a-second stimulus shock to induce the brief seizure.

However, I do agree that ECT has a long history of being over-prescribed and definitely requires more research. Especially on long-term side effects.

I'm not too sure on the exact mechanism of how it works. The research I've been able to find can't seem to agree if it's something about the post-seizure neural activity or something specific about the seizure activity itself. There's a lot of debate about exactly how it works.

ECT does have side effects. The biggest and scariest is the memory side effects. The most common memory issue is that people often forget things around the time of their treatments. Other common ones are headaches, nausea, muscle aches, and jaw pain.

Personally, my memory isn't as sticky as it was prior to ECT. Before it was like fly paper and now it's more like scotch tape. I actually need to use reminders regularly now, whereas before I rarely if ever needed them. There is a noticeable difference in how mentally "sharp" I am, but to me it's worth it. Without ECT, I wouldn't be able to do anything worth remembering.

The exact mechanism for how it improves depression symptoms is still debated and not really understood.

As for how it's done, it's usually done in a hospital. I go to the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), get in a hospital gown, hooked up to an IV and all the monitors, then wait. Then the ECT team and Anesthesia team come in. I get hooked up with monitors for the ECT machine. Then they do a time-out to double-check everything. After that, things move pretty quickly.

First they give me oxygen through a mask. Then they give the anesthesia through the IV, and I go unconscious. Once they make sure I'm fully out, they give the paralytic. At that point, the nurse anesthetist starts breathing for me. Once the paralytic is fully in effect, they deliver a brief shock to induce the seizure. The doctors monitor my brain waves to make sure I actually have the seizure and it lasts long enough. They also keep an eye on my vital signs to make sure I'm OK. Once the seizure is over and the paralytic wears off, the PACU nurses take over and I wake up. I timed it last time and it took about 45 minutes from Time-Out to me waking up. After I wake up, the nurses check my vitals to make sure I'm OK. Then I get dressed and I get to go home.

I had a choice between trying TMS first with ECT as a backup, or going straight to ECT. I chose to skip TMS and go straight for the ECT because how severe my situation was at the time, how long it had been going on, and the research I was able to find on how effective each was for my kind of depression.

I got myself one of those metal straw necklaces to physically force myself to slow down my breathing. I usually do pretty good on the slow inhales, but for some reason it's really hard for me to slow the exhales. It helps me most in those times when you're too overwhelmed to count.

My favorite self care right now is chilling alone in a really hot bath. I just sit there, soak in the heat, and enjoy the quiet

My meds are a tool to help make it possible for me to cope with my emotions in a healthy way. For some people, all the friends, family, and social connections in the world can't fix their mental health struggles. Some people really do NEED medication. A great support system and healthy coping strategies are absolutely vital as well, but it can't fix everything. Meds cant fix everything either. It's multifaceted