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I have not had any shock therapy, but I am a retired nurse who worked on a psychiatric ward in the 50s. I must admit it looked barbaric then, however it saved lives, because it was used then as now to prevent suicide. It is true that then we had no antidepressants, but now that we do, they frequently take too long to act and EST is quick and necessary, with minimal confusion afterward. In the 50s my father was very depressed , to the point of sucide (for no know reason) and had EST then and again in the late 60s or early 70s it was necessary to repeat it, there was all the difference in the world in the amount of confusion he had after each session. He just went back to work and carried on with his life as if it had never happened. If any ones doctor should recommend EST it would be a good idea to follow that advice. Nita Andres Nancy Fox wrote: > 9/15/98 2:25 PM > > does anyone out there know anything about shock therapy (or maybe experienced > it firsthand)?? > > my mother's (mom=56/7) psychiatrist is in favor of her having it to combat the > depression and anxiety (probably caused by her parkinson's). she's an > inpatient now in the hospital-- first they have to monitor her as her meds are > lowered before they can start the treatments. > > it's a scary thought, although i've been told it's not nearly as barbaric as > we envision it (they've made many improvements in this technique over the > years). anyway, i'd love to hear from anyone who knows about it, especially > if it's positive (i'll take the negative, too, of course). > > thanks!! > > nancy > > Special > Announcement