Integrative Medicine & Psychiatric Services,Inc
Geriatric Health Care Associates,Inc
Mother's perspective on ECT HOW ECT CHANGED MY SON'S LIFE I am the mother of a 27 year-old son who, 4 years ago, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. At that time he was studying, living with his girlfriend, and forging his future. The illness stormed into his, and our lives, with total relentlessness. Everything changed. He came back to live with my husband and me. From that moment on, he went through a different array of psychiatrists, some would drop him because of his non-compliance to the excessive meds and some we would drop due to their lassitude and lack of care. 99% of times, my husband and I felt they were experimenting with my son, combining this and that medication-sometimes so aggressive and dangerous that he had to get a weekly blood test to monitor white blood cell loss , and accept the fact that he will have to live with involuntary movements in his hands due to them. We asked all these professionals if there was another treatment. “No”, they said, “the only method for containing or reducing the voices and depression is what Pharmaceuticals recommend: prescribe pills, prescribe pills, prescribe pills” After dropping the last psychiatrist and while researching for a new one, I came across Dr. Mehra’s name and website. I liked what I read. So, I called her office and made an appointment for my son. The first impression I got was that of a caring human being. She showed a lot of respect for my son, for everything he was saying, even though he was smothered by the voices and talking incongruously at times. I realized her interest in helping him was genuine and was going to result in a beneficial change. After her first evaluation, she brought up the ECT word. Oh, horror!! My son, my husband and I reacted in astonishment, fear, and rejected the idea altogether, without even considering it. “Electric shocks?” we asked her, “do you think that we are going to put our son through that?. That treatment is so scary…I still remember Jack Nicholson’s movie”. She smiled, and only said: “Listen, your son is an ideal candidate for ECT. I see that you are afraid. OK, I understand that. But, you don’t have to be. This is a safe treatment. And look at him now. Do you realize that if he keeps on with this cocktail of meds, his heart will be affected, his blood pressure will be affected, maybe his liver and other organs will suffer the consequences. Aren’t you afraid of that too?” Then, I looked to my side, watched at my son, absent, talking to his “ghosts”, and realized that just meds had not been the answer. This was what really made us change our minds. We all talked about it, and my son decided to consider it. We saw a video on ECT with open minds: No scary electric shock, just a soothing outpatient procedure, short and simple. And my son went for it. Before his first ECT, all of us were a little anxious. But once we got to the hospital unit, Dr Mehra and her team of nurses, anesthesiologists and other team members put all of us into such a comfortable state of mind that we forgot all fears and insecurities. My son went into the treatment room, came out 30 minutes later, a little sleepy, a little groggy, but he did something he hadn’t done in four years, he made a joke: “Mom” he said “when we came here today, I thought it was YOU that was going to get the treatment”. And then he laughed. I couldn’t believe it. He was laughing. Then he stopped and asked us all to hush up. “Wait! Nobody say a word!”. And then he asked. “Where are they? Where are the voices? I can hardly hear them!” Those were the most beautiful words I heard in a long time. Since his first session, his voices have been going down and staying down, almost imperceptible now. His depression is completely under control. He has recovered his own self. He makes jokes, he is studying and he is planning for the future. I know that he wants to write something on this website for anyone that is going through the same he went through so they can get another perspective, and hope. Me? I just wrote this as a mom who loves her son very much and wants to say to parents with kids in similar situations: Don’t be afraid moms and dads! The ECT is SAFE and EFFECTIVE. It is really working for our child. I am sure it will definitely help yours. (By the way, my husband, son and I are most willing to talk with any of you about our different perspectives with the ECT experience.)
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