New treatment for depression

[Lady's Human]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/14/health/battery-powered-brain/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Great news for those who suffer from medically untreatable depression.

For those of us who are more cynical, however, bring on the drouds and wireheads.

[Karen]

Fascinating, hopefully it can help some people. Depression can just be so debilitating.
Reading it, though, I was reminded how glad I was to be completely unconscious and under sedation when they cut into my skull, so didn't feel or hear a thing!

[Catty1]

"It's not that you won't be happy or that you aren't happy; it's that you can't be happy," Guyton said.

That rang a bell.

I sent the link to a friend whose 19 year-old nephew has been horribly depressed and suicidal since last September. Nothing seems to be helping.

Thanks for the post LH.

[Lady's Human]

I figured there would be several people on the forum interested in this, however, I have serious issues with the possibility of abuse, hence the placement in the doghouse.

This type of treatment was predicted by a couple of sci-fi writers, and the abuse was also predicted, hopefully the latter part of their prediction doesn't come true. Humans, as we have proven time and time again, will do damned near anything to get high.

[Karen]

With any treatment there is nearly always the potential for abuse, sadly. Here's hoping it is used by ethical people only, though I know that's being too optimistic of me.

[Asiel]

Reminded me of another program I watched where they placed electrodes on certain areas of a teen's brain to stop severe seizures - it worked wonders and gave the teen renewed life, amazing how far science has travelled and is still progressing forward.

[moosmom]

Wow. I'm very lucky that my depression is under control with meds. Not a lot of meds. Just enough. Guyton's description of depression hit the nail right on the head.


will do damned near anything to get high

LH, I think that's a little harsh. That is unless you're speaking from personal experience. I doubt there's any "high" involved.

[Lady's Human]

LH, I think that's a little harsh. That is unless you're speaking from personal experience. I doubt there's any "high" involved.

Depends on the amount of electricity involved, and as far as harsh? I've seen people drink after shave to get drunk after having all the alcohol removed from their room in the barracks, and smoke everything under the sun because they read somewhere it might have an effect. Yeah, sorry, some humans will do damned near anything to get high.

[happylabs]

I only suffer from slight depression at times. My therapy is Googling Beagle puppies or searching Youtube for kitten videos. :love:

[pomtzu]

Not to be contrary (what???-who me???-never!!!), but how can the ordinary Joe Blow get a high from this??? It's not like he can purchase it on the street corner or the local pharmacy. It's not likely his surgeon is going to drill holes in his skull and throw some electrodes in there because Joe Blow says that he's depressed. IMO - that will NEVER happen, so the drug pushers are safe, and the sale of after shave, mouth wash, cold remedies, etc, etc, will keep the Joe Blow's of the word as high as they want to get.

[Catty1]

Guyton went for this surgery after over 40 years of medications and even electroshock. The meds did not work - the electroshock worked temporarily but she would crash again. None of the old or new depression meds EVER gave me a "high" - the new ones take from 2 to 4 weeks to have an effect. Even now, Guyton still has bad days - don't we all - but it has made a huge change for her.

A fast high - having holes drilled in your skull and needing to make an appointment for that? Not fast and not a high.

[Lady's Human]

Why would you need a surgeon? How many stories have been in the news lately about plastic surgery performed by unqualified people?

[pomtzu]

Why would you need a surgeon? How many stories have been in the news lately about plastic surgery performed by unqualified people?

True, but I'd say that's a wee bit different than drilling holes in someone's head and placing electrodes who knows where in the brain. The patient would be dead rather than high. Nope - I just don't see it happening.

[Lady's Human]

In the case of plastic surgery, the patients are frequently dead rather than having a bigger/smaller whatever.

[pomtzu]

In the case of plastic surgery, the patients are frequently dead rather than having a bigger/smaller whatever.

True, but if I was forced by some strange circumstance to choose one or the other, I'd opt for someone stuffing silicone somewhere, rather than having holes drilled in my skull. :eek::D

[moosmom]

AMEN Ellie!!!

LH,

Yeah, there are some people who are desperate enough to drink after shave, mouth wash, etc. But I'm with Ellie. If I were to go under the knife, it'll be for a little lipo, not having holes drilled in my head.

[Catty1]

Severe depression and other mental conditions are known to be due to a physical cause - too little of, too much of or an imbalance in brain chemicals.

Some people with severe diabetes have had surgery where islets are put into their liver, and they are cured.

Heart disease often requires surgical intervention, mild or severe.

If surgery is a last resort for any condition, I am all for it.

We're not talking the blues here, or treatable depression - we are talking about a condition severe enough that crippled Guyton her whole life. In Canada, Parkinson's patients under the age of 65 can have a surgical implant to greatly alleviate their symptoms. That's a brain chemical lack - dopamine - that produces obvious physical symptoms. I guess that makes it a "real" disease, unlike the brain chemicals that produce "only" emotional symptoms.

I'll be glad when surgical treatment for mental conditions is accorded the same respect as surgery for other conditions. As Karen said, there are risks to any surgery. I hope mental health treatments are allowed out of the dark ages soon.

[smokey the elder]

I agree. I think with the new functional MRI and other brain imaging techniques, medicine might finally be able to get a grip on mental illness, its causes, and specific drug targets to treat it. Electrode implants have been used now for several indications, but they are a last resort as they are in fact brain surgery!

On the "abuse" angle, a book came out almost 40 years ago called The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton: VERY far ahead of its time!

[Miss Z]

I find this area of research very interesting, particularly as it seems to be so effective. It would appear that side-effects are virtually non-existent, when the surgery is done correctly, due to the purely electrical stimulation of the nervous tissue. That sure beats the often debilitating side-effects of some anti-depressant drugs on the market right now. I hope it brings new life to many people around the world.

As far as back-street surgery goes, that kinda reminded me of 'caveman brain surgery' (http://www.sdstate.edu/sdces/store/OnCall/HolmspunPerspective/holes-in-the-head.cfm). :p Homo sapiens were, apparently, probing around in brains regardless of necessity for thousands of years. I personally don't believe this story will revive the trade.

I know what I'd be more worried about - brain control. :p There's a video (probably on the 'net, somewhere) made by some optogenetic researchers that depicts a mouse with a chip in its brain. The chip emits blue light on demand via remote control, causing it to run around against its own will. An unnerving thought...