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.

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