bilateral ECT - feels like we get them back for a day, then they crash
A close family member in their mid-20s is currently inpatient and getting ECT three times a week. They’re scheduled for treatment #6 tomorrow.
After treatment #4, they seemed much more like themselves for the rest of the day - more present, connected, even a little hopeful. But by the next morning, they declined again and self-harmed.
After treatment #5, it happened again, except the “good window” lasted a little longer, into the next afternoon. Then they crashed again and needed a higher level of support from staff.
They’re also on a high dose of an antidepressant.
I’m just trying to understand if anyone else has seen this kind of brief improvement around ECT treatments #4-#6 before things became more stable.
It’s really hard emotionally because it feels like we get them back for a little while, and then lose them again.
For anyone who’s gone through ECT or supported someone through it: did these short windows of improvement eventually become more sustained? Did the team adjust anything after treatment #6? How did they handle the crash days between treatments?