This was a really awesome story. Truly epic - this must represent a tremendous amount of work. Thanks so much for sharing...
And, just because you seem to be interested in these things... shock therapy is actually still used for treating severe depression, among other things. My father went through it... oh, I don't know, maybe five years ago now. He didn't like it at all. For one thing, they have to give you these incredibly powerful muscle relaxers before hand (I can't quite remember why - maybe to minimize the seizures?) and he said it was terrifying not to be able to move, and that it felt like he was drowning. Plus they wouldn't let him do it on an outpatient basis, and being an inpatient in a mental hospital is not fun. You really have no rights, even when you are there voluntarily. Ultimately he felt it helped, but not anywhere near enough to be worth it, and he gave up on it after a few sessions.
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And, just because you seem to be interested in these things... shock therapy is actually still used for treating severe depression, among other things. My father went through it... oh, I don't know, maybe five years ago now. He didn't like it at all. For one thing, they have to give you these incredibly powerful muscle relaxers before hand (I can't quite remember why - maybe to minimize the seizures?) and he said it was terrifying not to be able to move, and that it felt like he was drowning. Plus they wouldn't let him do it on an outpatient basis, and being an inpatient in a mental hospital is not fun. You really have no rights, even when you are there voluntarily. Ultimately he felt it helped, but not anywhere near enough to be worth it, and he gave up on it after a few sessions.