TITLE:
“Flow” Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression Treatment in a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) Service: Depression, Functioning, and Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes
AUTHORS:
Chris Griffiths, William McIlhiney, Amy Evans, Alex O’Neill-Kerr, Ksenija Maravic da Silva, Harmony Jiang
KEYWORDS:
Depression, Quality of Life, Functioning, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), Schizophrenia
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Depression,
Vol.13 No.4,
November
20,
2024
ABSTRACT: Background: People who experience severe mental illness (SMI) have a high prevalence of depression symptoms, which is linked to worse functioning and quality of life. Research evidence indicates that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can reduce symptoms of depression. Flow FL-100 is a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) device self-administered by a patient at home in combination with a software application that delivered wellbeing behaviour therapy training. Purpose/Aim: This study investigates if Flow can be introduced to a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) service and the impact of Flow in treating depression. The study addresses the questions: “what are the depression reliable improvement and remission rates?” and “can Flow significantly reduce depressive symptoms and improve real world functioning (everyday, social and occupational functioning) and health-related quality of life?”. Methods: An open-label patient cohort design with no control group. Pre-intervention and 6-week follow-up intervention assessments using the participant self-report measures: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and EuroQol five-dimension (EQ-5D-5L). Participants were 31 CMHT patients, 15 males and 16 females, with an age range of 21 to 64 years, and average age of 42 years. Results: PHQ-9 reliable improvement and remission rates were 51.61% and 12.9%, respectively. PHQ-9 scores significantly improved, from 20.9 (SD 5.55) to 14.6 (SD 7.33) at 6 weeks, with large effect size. WSAS scores improved from 31.3 (SD 6.02) to 22.5 (SD 11.43) at 6 weeks, with large effect size. EQ-5D-5L results showed significant improvements in the health index score, and three EQ-5D-5L dimensions (“mobility”, “self-care”, and “pain”). Conclusion: Flow tDCS treatment was integrated into a CMHT service and was found to be beneficial in terms of improving functioning and quality of life and reducing depression symptoms. Flow FL100 tDCS and wellbeing behaviour therapy training could be offered through all CMHT services to people with SMI to treat depression, enable better functioning, and improve quality of life.