Leicestershire hospital trial showing positive results in tackling severe depression
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is the only place in the country trialling these headsets
Leicestershire hospitals have shared with us that they're seeing positive results from their exclusive pilot using brain stimulation headsets to tackle depression.
The Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust have been trialling this technology with patients from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland for almost 2 years now and hope it could be used as a form of treatment to more patients in future.
Just earlier this month, on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Trust announced it was expanding the trial, thanks to funding secured by the Trust’s charity, Raising Health. A total of £40,000 was raised to purchase nearly 150 additional Flow headsets and headset pad refills.
Debbie is local to the city has been using the headset since the start of the year, and has had an 83% improvement.
She was in remission 7 weeks after the start of treatment and has remained in remission since March.
She tells us more:
"It's changed my life; I had such terrible days being up and down, I just couldn't get out of bed, I wasn't eating, I wasn't drinking and that's now all gone. I can engage in things I just could never do before.
"I've suffered from depression and anxiety on and off for a number of years, and could never get any period of stability but now I've been in remission a while.
"The difference in me has been amazing, it's helped me no end and I haven't had any relapses since."
The non-invasive devices use transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to gently stimulate parts of the brain that help to regulate mood, sleep, and motivation. The pilot, led by the crisis mental health team at Bradgate Mental Health Unit, aimed to offer new hope to patients for whom traditional treatments or medication had failed or were not accessible.
The results of the pilot, which has so far treated over 160 patients, have been striking. Many patients said the treatment helped to change their lives. The pilot saw:
- 71% of patients report a reliable reduction in their depressive symptoms within six weeks of use
- The number of people having thoughts of suicide reduced by a third within three weeks of use and two thirds by 10 weeks of use.
The latest funding has not only sustained the pilot for patients of the crisis mental health team, but has also enabled its expansion into other LPT services. These include the Trust’s adult eating disorders inpatient service and specialist community mental health teams (CMHTs), which support people living with moderate to severe depression who have not responded to traditional treatments.
Dr Mark McConnochie, consultant psychiatrist at LPT, said:
“There is real potential to support these patients in treating their depression and getting their lives back.
Longer term, the Flow headsets could help us to provide an additional, effective treatment option, particularly if medication isn’t suitable.”
Dr Hannah Nearney, UK medical director for Flow Neuroscience, said:
“It has been inspirational to work with Raising Health. Their dedication has enabled LPT to make faster progress than other NHS pilot sites, with fantastic results for patient care.”
Find out more about Raising Health, which funds projects to enhance patient care and wellbeing across Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust services.
Mental health support
Whatever you are going through, you don’t have to face it alone. Call Samaritans for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org for more information.
Anyone who is experiencing troubling symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts should seek support. More information about the full range of mental health support available locally is on the LPT website.
People looking for support for themselves or others struggling with their mental health or thoughts of suicide can also visit https://www.startaconversation.co.uk/ – which is the website for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Start a Conversation campaign.
For urgent mental health support please call NHS 111 option 2. You can also text 0748 063 5199 and a mental health professional will aim to get back to you within four hours.