A Better Life: The Story of Claudia Sanders

September 26, 2024

Diagnosed with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and an eating disorder, Claudia Sanders was fighting some dark battles.

Her depression made it hard to function in everyday life, and she felt the constant push and pull of simply trying to survive the mental, emotional, and physical turmoil. It took all her energy just to get to work every day. While living alone with passive and active thoughts of ending her life, she had no choice but to try to persevere.

Claudia sought treatment through therapy and several medications, yet her depression persisted and grew worse. As it became clear that she wasn’t responding to medication, Claudia’s doctor back home in Maryland introduced her to electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT.

ECT is a medical procedure performed to relieve symptoms of severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and other mental health conditions. The treatment sends small electric currents through the patient’s scalp, creating a controlled seizure in their brain that can alter brain chemistry and alleviate or reverse symptoms. It’s performed in a series of sessions in a safe, controlled environment and is used when other forms of treatment have not been effective.

In 2016, after struggling with symptoms for years, Claudia, then 23 years old, decided to give ECT a chance with her providers in Maryland, overlapping with treatment for her eating disorder. The ECT sessions helped, but when her eating disorder treatment concluded, there wasn’t an outpatient option for ECT, so she didn’t keep up with the treatment. A year later, Claudia moved to Gainesville, Florida, for a fresh start and a new career in health care.

Still intensely depressed, Claudia remembered undergoing ECT treatment and decided to see if University of Florida Health offered this option. She was pleased to learn it did.

Claudia was referred to Brent Carr, MD, an associate professor in the UF Department of Psychiatry and chief of electroconvulsive therapy services, to learn more about UF Health’s ECT program. Initially, she had a lot of anxiety surrounding the treatment. It was a big undertaking, and she wondered how it would compare with her past experience. Not only that, but she also had to take leave from work due to the frequency of her treatments, another big decision.

After deciding to make a full commitment to the process, Claudia began with three sessions a week for multiple weeks. She remembers her first visit going extremely smoothly with almost no side effects. It was clear that Claudia’s experience at UF Health was immediately different than her previous one in Maryland. She felt at ease as the treatment team guided her through every step of the comprehensive program.

“Sometimes, ECT is portrayed as a negative approach. It isn’t anything like what you see in the movies,” Claudia said. “I was treated so well, and the team walked me through everything.”

Claudia began to notice results after just a few weeks. Her tapered treatment plan went like this: three sessions per week, then two sessions per week, one session per week, one session every other week, and eventually one a month. She noted the whole process took her longer than most, especially during the every-other-week phase. This was due to the level of her depression and persistent thoughts of passive suicidal ideation, meaning she had thoughts of death but wasn’t actually planning to end her life. As her symptoms lessened, Claudia also began decreasing her medication.

At the start of each session, Claudia had to fill out a questionnaire about her symptoms. She didn’t realize how much progress she had made until one day she circled “half the days” instead of “every day” in regard to her suicidal ideations.

“Operating with passive thoughts of suicide for so long was just my norm, so when they started to lessen, I almost didn’t notice at first,” Claudia said.

After 2½ years of sessions and life-changing progress, Claudia was able to safely stop taking most of her medications. She no longer needs ECT treatment, and her thoughts of suicide are virtually nonexistent.

“When you’re able to live without the depression, you can live a life you’re more excited about,” Claudia said. “I have a lot more energy and emotions, better relationships with people, and a better career, not only because I have more energy to do it, but because I also find more joy in doing it. I’m doing more than purely surviving.”

Claudia encourages anyone struggling with a similar situation to explore their treatment options with their provider, with ECT being a realistic choice for those who are eligible and willing to put in the work to consistently complete their sessions.

“Mental health has had a lot more positivity shined on it recently, and no one should be ashamed of taking care of themselves,” Claudia said.

Claudia said she recognizes it’s going to take education and increased awareness of ECT to change perceptions and make the public aware of its positive effects. She hopes her story helps with that.

Thanks to the comprehensive program and staff at UF Health Psychiatric Hospital, ECT gave Claudia a way to find her light again.

“I am really, really proud of the life I’ve built in Florida,” she said. “I’m able to have a better life because of ECT. It hasn’t been easy, and it definitely hasn’t been all me. I’ve had a lot of support from some great friends and medical providers down here.”

If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. Help is available.