3 - ‘Young Men Don’t Need ECT’

Summary

CJ experienced mental health problems and trauma during childhood and adolescence. This was treated effectively with psychotherapy. He remembers being exuberant and outgoing. Then, at the age of twenty-one, he developed a severe depressive episode, feeling numb and emotionless, unable to taste anything. Due to the previous history, a diagnosis of personality disorder was suggested, resulting in a delay in starting ECT whilst an inpatient. Relapses followed, the first one in Brazil, where he was quickly offered ECT. Back in the UK, CJ found pervasive barriers to getting treated with ECT, especially maintenance ECT, which he asked for several times, having seen the effect of the acute courses. He had to first try various drug treatments. There was also hesitancy in receiving psychotherapy because it was felt that ECT may affect his ability to engage in therapy. CJ feels that the community team had been inadequately resourced, equipped and educated about ECT to properly support him as an outpatient. CJ finishes the story with a description of his ‘life on maintenance’, which did not stop him from starting studies on a degree and working part-time as a research assistant.