Just in from BreezyScroll: Emily Hollenbeck suffered from a severe, recurring depression that she compared to a black hole, where gravity felt so strong and her limbs so heavy that she could barely move. She was aware that the illness had the potential to be fatal. Her parents had both taken their own lives.She was willing to try something risky: having electrodes implanted in her brain as part of an experimental therapy. Here’s all about deep brain stimulation.
According to researchers, the treatment, known as deep brain stimulation, or DBS, could eventually help many of the nearly 3 million Americans who suffer from depression that does not respond to other medications. It is approved for Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, and many doctors and patients hope it will become more widely available for depression shortly.
The treatment provides patients with targeted electrical impulses, similar to a pacemaker for the brain. A growing body of recent research is promising, with more being conducted — though two large studies that found no benefit to using DBS for depression temporarily halted progress, and some scientists continue to express concerns.
Meanwhile, the FDA has agreed to expedite the review of Abbott Laboratories’ request to use its DBS devices for treatment-resistant depression.
