Psychiatrist Questions Psychiatrist

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
depends on what kind of stimulation
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.
See this link...
https://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-brain-stimulation
and
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/09/421541/treating-severe-depression-demand-brain-stimulation