Depression Stole a Year from Me by Gale Metcalf

Pain drove me to despair

Despair led me to depression.

Depression stole a year from me.

I could not make sense of what my eyes could see.

I could not think.

I could not find myself and no one could find me.

Depression stole a year from me.

Doctors, pills, Ketamine – nothing helped.

Thirty-one times they strapped electrodes to my head.*

They ran a current of electricity through my brain.

Thirty-one times, I convulsed.

Yet, anesthetized, I felt nothing – no pain, no fear.

Yes, depression stole a year from me,

But now, at long last,

I am free.


*Electroconvulsive therapy             

Gale Metcalf is a mental health professional who has worked internationally for 50 years. She has lived in multiple countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, all of the time involved in helping people live rich and fulfilling lives. Her work has focused on cross-cultural understanding and adaptation. As a response to her own recovery, she is a stanch supporter of ECT therapy. She currently resides in Penang, Malaysia.

Photo by Abbat on Unsplash