ZAPPING AWAY DEPRESSION  [ back to What's New ]
Approximately 1,000,000 people suffer from "intractible" depression, about 15% of which will commit suicide. These are people who have not responded to medication, psychotherapy or hospitalization. In March 2000, it was announced by University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas, and 3 sister research institutions that promising results for treating such patients had been reached through surgical implantation of a small pace-maker like device in the chest which emits a mild current to the vagus nerve every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day.  According to device manufacturer  Cyberonics, Inc. of Houston, the total cost of the device, surgery and follow-up is $15,000 and an application for FDA approval of the device in now pending. Although the mood enhancing effect of vagus nerve stimulation is not understood, and was discovered accidentally, it appears to work dramatic improvement. Out of 30 patients hospitalized recurrently for chronic severe depression, 17 are doing much better and have been able to stay out of the hospital. 200 new patients will be tested later this year at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston.