Maternal depression can cause deleterious effects on the fetus, but so can antidepressants. For example, mothers who take Prozac during the third trimester of pregnancy risk premature delivery and also put their infants at risk of "poor neonatal adaptation", according to a report from the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR). CERHR is part of the federal National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health. Only 30% of patients respond initially to an antidepressant. 40% do not respond to antidepressants at all. Psychotherapy is effective, without side effects, but takes time. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective, safe, but has significant side effects and is reserved for the severe, treatment-resistant patient. A new treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is safe, effective, but expensive. Similar to TMS, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uses a tiny, imperceptible amount of electricity from a portable stimulator to facilitate the under-functioning area of the brain which results in depression. tDCS is safer than TMS, easier to do, without side effects and can be done by the patient at home. tDCS improves cognitive function with the initial 20-minute treatment and depression lessens within a week. In a study published earlier this year, tDCS reduced depression 50% for patients unresponsive to multiple courses of antidepressants. The lifetime cost of tDCS is less than the cost of an antidepressant for a year and less than a quarter of the cost of a single TMS protocol.
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Maternal depression can cause deleterious effects on the fetus, but so can antidepressants. For example, mothers who take Prozac during the third trimester of pregnancy risk premature delivery and also put their infants at risk of "poor neonatal adaptation", according to a report from the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR). CERHR is part of the federal National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health. Only 30% of patients respond initially to an antidepressant. 40% do not respond to antidepressants at all. Psychotherapy is effective, without side effects, but takes time. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective, safe, but has significant side effects and is reserved for the severe, treatment-resistant patient. A new treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is safe, effective, but expensive. Similar to TMS, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uses a tiny, imperceptible amount of electricity from a portable stimulator to facilitate the under-functioning area of the brain which results in depression. tDCS is safer than TMS, easier to do, without side effects and can be done by the patient at home. tDCS improves cognitive function with the initial 20-minute treatment and depression lessens within a week. In a study published earlier this year, tDCS reduced depression 50% for patients unresponsive to multiple courses of antidepressants. The lifetime cost of tDCS is less than the cost of an antidepressant for a year and less than a quarter of the cost of a single TMS protocol.
September 28, 2012 - 4:08amThis Comment
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