Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Mental Illness

I found the section on the history of treatment for depression especially interesting because of the "depression helmet" pictures that have been going around online. The helment was just approved by the FDA to treat depression and is available in Arizona.

Electroconvulsive Therapy was first used in the 1930s to induce seizures that would alleviate or diminish depressive symptoms. Now the delivery method varies, but has been shown to improve patient's mood in the short term. However, memory impairment can follow. A more minor strategies is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations. It was introduced in the mid 80s. rTMS uses a large electromagnet on the scalp to depolarize neurons. Side effects include headaches.