Shock therapy for depression?

My brother has been suffering from severe depression for many many years. he has tried every medication possible for depression and nothing seems to work. We have been advised to have him take shock treatment to cure his sickness. I was wondering if someone knew all the detail of shock therapy? Is it dangerous? Does it work? can it alter the mind? do the risks weigh out the benefits?

i worked in a large mental health facility and have assisted in a lot of ect's.. if all else fails, i have seen this treatment do wonders for a lot of people. there are little risks involved except some short term memory loss, which does not last long. it should not alter the mind, but most likely will get rid of the depression. i have seen it work well for many people, even some older people. ect is usually given in a series of treatments. you can ask the doctor how many, hope this works for your brother, good luck

SHOCK TREATMENTS ARE SOMEWHAT DANGEROUS, BUT THEY CAN BE THE ONLY EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR SOME, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE DISABLED BY THE DEPRESSION, AND ALL OF THE CURRENT VALID THERAPIES HAVE FAILED. YES IT DOES ALTER THE MIND, THAT IS HOW IT WORKS. IT INTERRUPTS THE PERSONS DWELLING ON THE PROBLEMS TO THE POINT THAT THEY CAN NO LONGER FUNCTION IN LIFE.
WHEN ALL CURRENT VALID THERAPIES HAVE FAILED THE BENEFITS OUT WEIGH THE RISKS.
THE EFFECTS OF SHOCK THERAPY ALMOST ALWAYS FADE AWAY BUT BY THAT TIME AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED.

Dangerous? Hell yeah....it's a mini form of electrocution...does it work...that is debatable...I know people who claim it has worked for them and people who argue against the brutality of it...

If he has had severe depression for that long, there maybe other factors involved...always get a second opinion...

Electric Shock for depression is considered a last-resort effort.
It is a rather unpleasant experience.
However when nothing else has worked, and this is a disabling problem, then it should be considered.
Yes, it can work.

I have known individuals who are functioning in society today, who were treated with electric shock at times in their life when they were unable to function.
Having known how awful depression can be, how incapable of dealing with life a person is, There comes a point where a person will consider nearly any remedy to get some relief.
Severe depression is no way to live. It's like living life alone, in the dark, in constant mental and emotional pain.

I wish your brother well.

I had ECT's. At the time I was extremely depressed and all medications had been tried and nothing was seemingly working. With any procedure such as ECT there are risk. Patients are put to sleep now and NO physical pain is felt. I only had slight headaches and would be tired. I did have some short term memory loss. They are done in a series but the number is determined by the Dr. I know of many people this has worked great for but unfortunately it only lasted short term for me. If his Dr. has recommended it and you have more concerns you could always go with him and get more details to have more comfort before the procedure. Severe depression is a VERY dark place to be in and I am sorry your brother is suffering. I hope the best for you and your brother and I hope your brother is feeling better soon.