60 Minutes had a piece on a new treatment for severe depression. It involves drilling into the skull and inserting electrodes into a specific part of the brain (Area 25) and attaching those electrodes to a pacemaker-like device. The electronic stimulation can be adjusted by the doctor until relief is found.
Two-thirds of the patients reported notable drops in the level of depression they experienced. It is not a “cure” per se, and the one subject in the report was not completely functional, though she was markedly better than before the procedure.
The subject is awake during the procedure to report on immediate changes in mood. Would you go through with this procedure? Would any degree of improvement make it worthwhile?
For the record, if I was in bad shape, I’d do it. No question.
Everyone who’s depressed is already in line! I saw parts of it, did they have the woman’s head open a whole lot, or was it just holes in certain areas? I don’t know if I’d do it or not, I guess it depeds on how bad off I was and how well it works.
They drilled holes and inserted electrodes that looked to be about 8-10 in. long. She was open a pretty long time, or so it seemed. She was conversing with the doctors and nurses and at one point had a “oh my god what am I doing?” moment. She said that as far as she’s concerned, it was worth it, despite the fact that she still had to retreat to her bed at times (including during the follow-up interview).
But then again, I doubt I would consent to any sort of invasive treatment, no matter what disease I had, no matter the prognosis. If I am that bad off I want someone to whack me on the back of the head with a shovel and throw me in a Hefty bag.
I’d do it. Hell I’m waiting for the chance that maybe I could have it done. Both because it is non-drug based and because it is part of the emerging neurointerface technology. The drugs effect other parts of the body than the brain, and I tend to build up tollerance to them, give me the ver 0.01 cyber-interface ASAP.
Possibly, after there has been A LOT more experience with its use. I won’t even take newly-released psychiatric medications, so no way am I signing up to be one of the first to have an experimental brain surgery/implant. And even then, I’d only do it after every other alternative had failed.
I’d have to be in mighty bad shape to consider it. The mapping of the brain isn’t sufficiently well understood for me to trust someone to pump current into my noggin. Of course, there’s also the whole squeamishness factor about not wanting someone to drill holes in my head.
On the other hand, depression can be amazingly difficult to deal with. If I were doing badly enough, I just might try it.
I’d want to see some more research. The guy who popularized pre-frontal lobotomies (done with an icepick :eek:,) was absolutely sure he was on the right track.
If I had exhausted the less-invasive options, and the choice was really between intractable depression of the actively suicidal kind and an experimental surgery, hell, yes.
Well, putting aside scary images of Nurse Ratched, I actually got to a place in my therapy where my shrink and I discussed the issue. It was all hypothetical, but it really brought home to me how bad it had gotten with me. I still hold it out as a Final Solution, but for the past two years, I’ve been on a cocktail of several antidepressants that seem to have made me functional.
(I’ve finally figured out how to answer the greeting, “How are you doing?” Answer: “I’m mostly functional.”)
Really? I may have to suggest this to my aunt. She’s had severe depression for more than a decade, and has been undergoing electroshock therapy for years. From what I’ve heard, the shock treatments she’s currently undergoing tend to wipe out her short-term memory. She’s not able to drive anymore because she forgets where she is and where she’s going.
If this new treatment works, it may be something for her to consider. Thanks!
One of the women on the show had received over 80 EST treatments and was getting nowhere with them.
The treatments are currently only available in this very small trial group. They said they hope to get other institutions on board with their own clinical trials soon. If this thing flies, they project a BILLION dollar industry. Many people stand to become rich, but even better, many people stand to become functional members of society again.
Both of them reported seeing brighter colors after the electrodes finally hit the sweet spot. Go figure.