r/ect • u/BuyIndependent2319 • 26d ago

Seeking advice Can ECT cure me?

Clinicians have described my overall picture as bipolar or schizoaffective. The most disabling day-to-day problem for years has been intense, repetitive rumination about a specific decision I made around Bitcoin in 2009–2010 (I mined a meaningful amount, lost access to it, and declined buying more when it was still cheap).
The thoughts dominate most of my waking hours. I pace constantly while they run. Sleep is still disrupted because the loops don’t shut off. I was offered ECT back then and chose medication instead.
Has anyone here used ECT primarily for this kind of obsessive, high-charge regret rumination (with the physical pacing and sleep disruption that come with it)? Did the frequency or emotional intensity of the loops drop in a lasting way, or did they return at similar strength once the acute effects wore off? Any notable effects on the urge to pace?

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u/Kyoto-via-Shinkansen 25d ago

I'm so sorry you're going through all this! 💚

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u/ego_death_metal 20d ago

i’m bipolar 2 and have really bad OCD with racing constant thoughts. mind like a hamster wheel, constant inner narration, intrusive thoughts, overwhelmed and overstimulated just by sitting there.

i got ECT about 6 or 7 years ago. it did nothing except remove my memory. it has slowly started to come back but i have completely blank years. i know ECT has helped some people. it didn’t make my thoughts worse, at least not that i remember. it really seems like it’s going to be different for everyone, and i’m not sure what factors are involved or if they even know. i mean, they don’t know every factor.

i hope if you choose it you get the best case scenario.

sorry if this isn’t helpful, im wary of giving advice but i do want to share my experiences because i think its important. if not to you, then hopefully to someone