‘The headset helps my depression so I can be a dad again’

A father-of-two said a headset that stimulated his brain using electronic pulses had been a “key part” of his recovery from depression.

Ashley Riley, from Northamptonshire, took part in an NHS trial that used the device to treat the disorder.

He signed up after medication alone failed and said he was now “able to be a full-time dad again”.

Prof Alex O’Neill-Kerr, a consultant psychiatrist, said it may not work for all, but he had seen positive results.

The device works by stimulating brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the front of the brain, an area linked with depression.

It delivers weak electrical currents, through electrodes placed on the forehead.

A camera in an app, helps the user put on the headset in the correct way. It also controls the electrical current using Bluetooth.

According to the latest available data from the Office for National Statistics, one in six people has experienced moderate to severe depression.

Mr Riley, 52, runs a public relations firm and said “I couldn’t work, I couldn’t interact with my family on a day-to-day basis.

“Some of the memories from before, like when your children ask your wife, ‘why is daddy crying in the toilet?’ are really tough.

“You wake up with depression and it follows you around all day. To feel you’ve got some hope in the day is really important.”

Mr Riley was given the device to use at home for 15 minutes a day, five times a week.

“I’m fully functioning now,” he said. “I’m able to work again, I’m able to be a dad and be a husband in the way I need to be.

“I’m able to exercise and do my running, take part in parkrun UK with my boy and pretty much have a normal life.

“You put on this headset, and you get this little tingling when you use it… but it becomes part of your treatment and you do start to feel more positive.

“I’m able to reduce my medication, I’m able to reduce my therapy.”

It found out of 14 people with moderate to severe depression, 10 experienced improvements.

Professor Alex O’Neill-Kerr from NHFT said he was initially sceptical because of the low-level current of the device, but said it was important to explore alternatives to medication.

“If you fail three or four antidepressants, the chances of you responding to treatment is pretty much zero and that represents one third of patients with depression.

“I’ve seen patients of mine that I’ve known for months if not years, get better with transcranial direct-current stimulation.”

“Our brain runs on electricity and there is an immense amount of research about why this is an effective treatment.

“When you look at brains that are depressed there is less activity in the region that’s associated with mood and memory, and what we’re doing targeting that region with electrical impulses to push it back to a healthy state.”

The NHS is extending trials of the device to cover postnatal depression and NHS medical staff who have depression.

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