When you’re dealing with a mental health disorder, knowing there are proven treatment options that may offer you some relief can be important. Such treatments can act as a potential light at the end of the tunnel and something you can work toward even as you struggle with depression or other mental health symptoms. However, when the treatments that work for many don’t work well for you, it can be frustrating.
This does happen with some major depressive disorders, which can be treatment-resistant. Discover how common treatment-resistant depression is below, and learn how neurorehabilitation options can provide support for those who deal with it.
What Is Neurorehabilitation?
Neurorehabilitation refers to a wide range of neurological-based treatment methods designed to address various symptoms and conditions. Some of these treatments are used for recovery after a stroke or traumatic brain injury, as they’re helpful in rehabbing cognitive function or physical movements. Studies have shown that neurorehabilitation principles and options such as neuromodulation therapy are also helpful in addressing treatment-resistant depression.
Understanding Treatment-Resistant Depression
How many people have treatment-resistant depression, and could you be one of them? Unfortunately, there aren’t easy answers to these questions because this type of depression is still being studied and defined.
What Is Treatment-Resistant Depression?
Treatment-resistant depression refers specifically to a type of major depressive disorder that doesn’t respond to traditional treatment methods, including cognitive behavioral therapy and other talk therapies or known and often effective antidepressant medications.
Clinicians remain somewhat divided on the exact definition of treatment-resistant depression, or TRD. Common ground, however, does seem to indicate that most providers believe major depressive disorder can be classified as treatment-resistant once a person has experienced a response considered inadequate for treatment purposes to two or more antidepressant therapies. This classification also requires the person to take medications as prescribed, potentially working with clinicians to dial in medication dosages in an attempt to address depression symptoms before doctors determine the pharmacology options don’t work.
Before doctors define major depression as treatment-resistant, they may take steps such as:
- Discussing compliance with a patient to ensure they’re taking medications as directed and aren’t skipping or forgetting medications
- Ensuring the person is following up with any treatment recommendations, including participation in therapy
- Trying different antidepressant medications or combinations of medications to find an option that might work for the individual, as each person is unique
- Asking patients to allow more time for medications to begin to work, as the results from antidepressants can take time
- Conducting genetic testing and other tests that can provide additional data that informs treatment
How Common Is TRD?
It’s hard to answer exactly how many people have treatment-resistant depression, in part because there aren’t specific diagnostic criteria that qualify TRD. While there aren’t exact treatment-resistant depression statistics due to this factor, it’s estimated that 10% to 30% of people who have a major depression disorder diagnosis may have treatment-resistant depression.
How Neurorehabilitation Can Work for Treatment-Resistant Depression
Clinical teams are turning to neurological options for treating depression that doesn’t respond to talk therapies and medications.
Electroconvulsive Therapy
In this therapy, a controlled electrical pulse is sent to a certain area of the brain with the purpose of eliciting a short, carefully monitored seizure activity. Treatment occurs two to three times each week over the course of 2-9 weeks, depending on the person’s depression and their response to treatment. Studies indicate that around half of people who don’t respond to traditional depression treatments have some positive outcomes with electroconvulsive therapy.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Stanford University School of Medicine conducted a study of magnetic brain stimulation and its impact on treatment-resistant depression. According to the study, around 80% of people with severe depression had a positive outcome with this neurorehab treatment. The specific treatment involved in the study is called Stanford accelerated intelligent neuromodulation therapy (SAINT). It’s just one type of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
This type of therapy involves intense, repetitive brain stimulation that’s noninvasive. It’s applied across the scalp.
Magnetic Seizure Therapy
The goal of this therapy is to induce seizure activity in the brain similar to that involved in electroconvulsive therapy. This is achieved by using powerful magnets to induce certain types of activity in the brain. Improvements in mood symptoms aren’t immediate and typically require multiple treatment sessions. Not many studies exist on this type of treatment, but those that do indicate positive response rates between 15% and 69%.
Deep Brain Stimulation
Deep brain stimulation is an invasive approach that requires surgery to place an implant in the brain. The implant is controlled externally and used to target activity in the brain to activate or stop it. A small clinical trial indicated a 92% positive response rate to this therapy.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
This treatment seeks to address brain activity by stimulating the vagus nerve. It takes several months of this treatment to have an impact for individuals who get a positive response from it.
Steps for Seeking This Type of Treatment
Neurorehab treatments require experienced clinical professionals to administer them. They’re also typically reserved for times when traditional therapies or so-called “first-line” approaches have been tested and don’t bring about the desired results. The steps for seeking this type of treatment include:
- Admitting that you’re dealing with depression. By naming your mental health struggle, you’re more likely to seek treatment.
- Seeking treatment for depression. Reach out to your doctor or to a mental health treatment center to begin working with counselors and others.
- Try traditional and first-line approaches. Comply with doctor and therapist recommendations for medication use and cognitive behavioral therapy or other talk therapy sessions.
- Provide feedback. Let treatment professionals know how you’re feeling and whether treatments are having a positive impact.
- Ask for next steps. Ask about neurorehabilitation options and whether they may be right for you.
Get Help Today
If you’re interested in discovering whether brain optimization and neurorehabilitation methods might be right for you, contact Sun Health Center today.
