Depression is a devastating disorder that can be very difficult to cure. Cognitive therapy is always helpful but sometimes that alone is not enough, and prescription medications may be unwanted, ineffective or expensive.
Neurofeedback is a non-pharmaceutical option for treating depression that is offered at The Brain Clinic in New York City.
Neurofeedback for Depression
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback, which consists of different methods of training a person to control and manage their own brain physiology. Neurophysiological research by Davidson (1998a, b) has shown that some depressed patients have excess left frontal alpha, for example, and that by training this pattern to become normal, the symptoms of depression can be lifted.
A typical pattern is slower brainwave activity in the left frontal area. When this part of the brain is more inactive and the right frontal area is more dominant, the patient is predisposed to become depressed more easily and to be anxious. Contributing factors may include a family history of depression or a mild head injury in the left frontal area that helped create the frontal alpha abnormality.
Elsa Baehr and her colleagues discovered that by training depressed patients to alter their abnormal alpha asymmetry (Baehr & Baehr, 1997; Baehr, et al, 1997, 2001, 2004; Rosenfeld, 1997, 2000; Rosenfeld, et al, 1995, 1996), their symptoms can improve. Other reviews of the literature have shown that neurofeedback can be effective in treating depression (Hammond, 2001a, 2001b, 2005; Walker, et al, 2007). Other aspects of abnormal neurophysiology have included low alpha in the posterior regions. A bibliography is noted below for those who want scientific support for this new treatment modality, as well as issues regarding medication for depression. Additionally, neurofeedback treatment has been found to be permanent (Baehr et al, 2001). However, there is no guarantee that this treatment will work for everyone.
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References:
Allen, JB & Calendar, JH (1996). Biofeedback alters EEG asymmetry. Psychophysiology, 33(suppl), S17, (Abstract). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11446582
Baehr, E & Baehr, R (1997). The use of brainwave biofeedback as an adjunctive therapeutic treatment for depression: Three case studies. Biofeedback, 25(1), 10-11. https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/depression-bipolar
Baehr, E, Miller, E, Rosenfeld, JP & Baehr, R. (2004). Changes in frontal brain asymmetry associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A single case study. Journal of Neurotherapy, 8(1), 29-42.
Baehr, E, Rosenfeld, JP & Baehr, R (1997) The clinical use of an alpha asymmetry protocol in the neurofeedback treatment of depression: Two case studies. Journal of Neurotherapy, 2(3), 10-23.
Baehr, E, Rosenfeld, JP & Baehr, R (2001) Clinical use of an alpha asymmetry neurofeedback protocol in the treatment of mood disorders: Follow-up study 1 to 5 years post therapy. Journal of Neurotherapy, 4(4), 11-18.
Berg, K & Siever, D (2009). A controlled comparison of audio-visual entrainment for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder. Journal of Neurotherapy 13(3), 166–175.
Cantor, DS & Stevens, E (2009).QEEG correlates of auditory-visual entrainment treatment efficacy of refractory depression. Journal of Neurotherapy 13(2), 100 – 108. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10874200902887130
Davidson, R. J. (1998a). Affective style and affective disorders: Perspectives from affective neuroscience. Cognition & Emotion, 12, 307-330.
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DeRubeis, RJ, Gelfand, LA, Tang, TZ & Simons, AD (1999). Medications versus cognitive behavior therapy for severely depressed outpatients: Mega-analysis of four randomized comparisons. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 1007-1013.
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Hollon, SD, Shelton, RC & Loosen, PT (1991). Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy for depression. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 59, 88-99.
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Kirsch, I, Scoboria, A & Moore, TJ (2002). Antidepressants and placebos: Secrets, revelations, and unanswered questions. Prevention & Treatment, 5, Article 33. Available online at: https://www.journals.apa.org/prevention/volume5/pre0050023a.html.
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Kumano, H, Horie, H, Shidara, T, Kuboki, T et al. (1996). Treatment of a depressive disorder patient with EEG-driven photic stimulation. Biofeedback & Self-Regulation, 21(4), 323-334.
Putnam, JA (2001). EEG biofeedback on a female stroke patient with depression: A case study. Journal of Neurotherapy, 5(3), 27-38.
Raymond, J, Varney, C, Parkinson, L & Gruzelier, J (2005). The effects of alpha/theta neurofeedback on personality and mood. Cognitive Brain Research, 23, 287-292.
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Rosenfeld, JP, Cha, G, Blair, T & Gotlib, I. (1995). Operant biofeedback control of left-right frontal alpha power differences. Biofeedback & Self-Regulation, 20, 241-258.
Saxby, E & Peniston, EG (1995). Alpha-theta brainwave neurofeedback training: an effective treatment for male and female alcoholics with depressive symptoms. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51, 685-693.
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Neurofeedback for Depression