“Can patients with depression be treated with electrical stimulation?”
I have depression and want to treat it. Can patients with depression be treated with electrical stimulation?
3 Answers
PsychiatristPsychiatrist
Electric Convulsive Therapy (ECT) is an old yet at time effective treatment for very severe, treatment refractive depressive symptoms. This would never be a first line recommendation. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a much more gentle nerve stimulating treatment that has been studied in patients with depression. However, this would not be a first line treatment. These treatments are reserved for when traditional, evidence-based psychotherapy and medication interventions fail typically with more than one trial.