Pictured is Carol Kivler, a Lawrence resident determined to share her story of how electro-convulsive therapy changed her life. (Photo by Alexandra Yearly.)

Carol Kivler is on a mission to shock readers with the truth about a surprising medical treatment she feels saved her life.

Kivler’s book Will I Ever Be the Same Again? tells the story of her battle against clinical depression and the electro-convulsive therapy that she said improved her quality of life. In the book, Kivler talks about the stigma of ECT, more commonly known as electroshock therapy, and refutes the negative ideas and attitudes towards the treatment, focusing instead on its evolution and ability to aid in an individual’s fight against depression.

“I’m not saying it should be your first treatment option. But when you’re not getting results from what is going on with you, you need to do something,” Kivler said. “You need to take a shot, and ECT is a shot I would suggest you take.”

Kivler, who had been a business professor at MCCC for 12 years, said she feels that society’s negative view of ECT is what keeps those with positive experiences from speaking out. Even she hesitated to tell her story publicly, waiting until her children were old enough to tell her they supported her decision.

“I was more afraid of the reaction of others than I was of the treatment itself,” Kivler said. “But since nothing else was working, I had to do something, and so I had ECT. And it was definitely the ladder out of the pit of depression.”

She said her symptoms of depression ranged from physical to mental, including suicidal ideation.

“I felt like there was a helmet on my head, and I had joint aches,” Kivler said. “The sleep deprivation in line with the chemical imbalance in my brain, and you’re talking about the perfect storm.”

Over the course of 10 years, Kivler suffered four bouts of depression, the first in 1990 and last in 1999. During that time, she underwent more than 50 ECT treatments. For the past 11 years, she has remained depression-free.

“It’s given me my life back,” Kivler said. “I’m a very high-functioning member of society, and I don’t know where I would be (without it).”

Dr. Nighat Mirza of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton said so many treatments would be standard for someone who had had four separate episodes of depression. Mirza, a board-certified psychiatrist and neurologist and member of the RWJUHH advisory panel, said when treatment is started, it is usually administered three times a week, with a total of six to 18 ECT treatments.

Mirza said that in certain circumstances, ECT is presented as a treatment option at a patient’s first visit, but doctors often offer the more commonplace method of medication first.

But “in general, it is very very effective,” Mirza said.

Mirza also said that ECT is usually recommended when a patient has a major depression, or if two or more antidepressants are ineffective.

Since the release of her book, Kivler said she has received phone calls, notes and letters from others battling depression or with loved ones who are suffering, thanking her for helping them to understand the disease and providing a positive depiction of electric shock therapy and other treatment options.

“I really believe that this is my purpose in life,” Kivler said. “It’s for me to get the word out, and to even just open up the discussion.”

For Kivler, getting the word out also includes giving presentations and lectures about clinical depression and its treatment options, including ECT. She makes sure everyone she speaks with (even reporters) receives a copy of her book. And in return she asks only that you pass it on to someone else after you’ve read it.

“It’s my passion. I believe that we’re here to serve others and this is my service to others,” Kivler said. “It’s a hopeless disease, and if I can put the face of hope on this disease, then I’m doing what I should be doing.”

Kivler continues to talk about her experiences with ECT and clinical depression. For more information about Kivler and her book, go online to www.carolkivler.com.