Treating depression with Neurofeedback
Treating depression requires a highly sensitive and personalized approach. Depressive illness may be one of commonest mental health disorders with two thirds of adults suffering from it at some point in their life times.
Depressive illness can be conveniently divided into endogenous and exogenous – or reactive depression.
Reactive or exogenous depression seems to be triggered by events in the life of a person; these can be physical, emotional, social or financial stressors. Depression that follows an acute or chronic health problem, breakdown of relationship or bereavement etc. may be classified as reactive in nature.
Depression treatment when extraneous stressors are identifiable often requires a multi-disciplinary approach to manage the factors contributing into the onset of illness.
Depression is considered endogenous when no external cause or trigger for it can be identified. Treatment for endogenous depression as well as reactive depression is often attempted by antidepressant drugs or psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
Treating depression in its severe forms can require hospitalization to safeguard the individual from attempted suicide . In severe cases electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is considered to be the treatment of choice.
In clinical practice, one seldom finds depression without an accompanying physical or mental health disorder. Depression often accompanies anxiety states, psychotic illnesses, addictions, personality disorders, traumas, eating disorders and numerous physical health problems. Hypothyroidism, diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, arthritis, alzheimers and brain damage etc. can often be complicated by depressive illness.
While antidepressant drugs have beneficial effects in improving the mood and lessening some of the symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia associated with depression; they have not been able to provide the answer to treating depression in majority of people.
Psychological therapies similarly have value in some individuals, with milder forms of depression who are able to engage in the therapy. A combination of medications and psychological therapies is found to be effective by some people.
In many cases, neurofeedback treatment has shown efficacy in improving depression after a single session. Considering ECT in perspective of EEG biofeedback can help us understand the gentler approach of training the brain to self regulate better with neurofeedback, and the 'overkill' technique of supposedly resetting the brain, which electric shock therapy employs to this day.
From neurophysiological perspective, even the most severe cases of depression with suicidal behaviour are considered to be dysregulation problems within the brain, rather than mental disorders. Through training brain is moved towards greater stability and regulation of its internal states.
Generalized annxiety disorder treatment with neurofeedback.
Research articles on major depression treatment with neurofeedback.
Bipolar disorder and neurofeedback - research articles.
Alpha theta brainwave training - articles.
