Electrifying Your Brain At Home To Treat Depression

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD –

Oct. 21, 2024 – A headset that applies a small electric current to the brain can be used at home as an “efficient and safe” treatment for depression, a study has found. People with depression who used the device, which can be worn while sitting on the sofa, were more than twice as likely to report the improvement.

Professor Cynthia Fu, from the University of East London, a senior author of the study, said she could see such devices being prescribed on the NHS as a “first-line” form of treatment for people experiencing their first episodes of depression, and who would rather avoid medication or therapy. She said her research suggested it could also be used in addition to, or following, other forms of treatment for those whose symptoms have not improved.

Professor Jonathan Rosier, a professor of neuroscience and mental health at University College London, who was not involved in the study, said the efficacy of the electrical stimulation showed results that were “quite similar to trials of antidepressant medications”.