thedaysrunaway

Hi Emmy =] Probably something you've answered many times before, but when doing Phantom did you feel a lot of pressure to emulate Sarah Brightman or was the onus on making the role of Christine your own?

Thank you =]

Interesting, I shall have a look, thank you =]

Excuse my naivety but is this on a par with ECT in terms of what it does? If so, are there chances it could impact negatively on other brain areas?

How permanent is it? I mean, can it be removed if you don't get on with it? It can't have been cheap, so I'm guessing it's not that simple.

As you're part of a study, how is the effectiveness of the DBS being measured? Obviously thoughts and emotions are all very subjective, so is there anything tangible that can be recorded?

What might the negative points be? The 'pros' must have outweighed the 'cons' for you to go ahead with it, of course, but does it have any negative aspects?

Does it preclude you from any activities, such as driving or certain jobs? That would be a deciding factor for me, I think.

I find this fascinating, and it's something I've never heard of. I presume you're in the US? I'm in the UK, so it's doubtful the NHS would fund things. Trying to avoid anecdotes here, but I've very long-term mental ill heath. Tried most therapies as well as SSRIs, SNRIs, and antipsychotics but plateaued long ago and marked down as 'treatment resistant'. Given the option of ECT which frankly scared me, even after thorough research. The biggest issue for me is 'will I work again?' and the outlook for the last few years has been grim on that front. It would be interesting to know if the DBS is something that could help facilitate a return to 'normality'. At this stage of my life, and having tried most other things, I would gladly volunteer as a guinea pig.

Thank you for this ama, it's genuinely useful and interesting.

I'm terrified of ever changing meds again - I'm on venlafaxine and the brain zaps if I take my dose just a couple of hours late are insane.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, it is appreciated.

Had you tried ECT before the DBS? I've debated and researched ECT a lot over the years, as it was offered to me (or rather I felt 'threatened' with it, but that's a whole other story). I feel there is simply not enough 'proof' of long-term improvement from it, yet many tales of other brain areas suffering detrimental effects. All that from a practice that has been around for tens of years. Despite being relativey experimental in the mental health field, DBS seems to be considerably more researched and monitored than ECT.

You say you thought about it for five years before going ahead. Was it something you approached with your doctor or was it suggested to you?

What were the prerequisites for being accepted onto the study? Were they physical or entirely mental-health based? Had you, for example, spent several periods of time as an inpatient, or did you have to try various meds in controlled trials before you were considered?

Thank you again for doing this =]