The January 1 New York Times had a couple of articles of interest to seniors.
One was about electroshock therapy to relieve depression. According to the article, electroshock today is nothing like what you remember from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and in fact can be very helpful for the depressed. Kitty and Michael Dukakis (aged 80 and 83) are advocates because of all the treatment has done for her. The late Carrie Fisher reported positive experiences with the treatment, as has Dick Cavett.
The Times also published the latest in its series on how several of the “oldest old” in New York City are faring. Every day is a blessing, we often hear, and certainly these nonagenarians are still leading lives full of meaning and joy. But great age, the series underscores, brings great challenges.
Thanks for your personal witness on this very controversial and largely misunderstood therapy.
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Hello down there in Reston – hope you had a lovely holiday in your new environs near your daughters’ families. Years ago after a month of drug therapy which proved ineffective, my husband who suffered from classic bi-polar disorder, received 13 treatments of electroshock therapy. Those treatments were the only thing that brought him out of a deep depression. I was always grateful for his capable Dr. who explained the much improved shock techniques, and who supervised his care so our life together could return to normal for many more years. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was an excellent movie but did not present an accurate picture of electroshock therapy and its benefits.
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