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

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