According to Scientific American one in six U.S. adults reported taking a psychiatric drug, such as an antidepressant or a sedative (data comes from an analysis of the 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey). Antidepressants were the most common type of psychiatric drug in the survey, with 12 percent of adults reporting that they filled prescriptions for these drugs.
What is depression? Depression is a complex, serious, debilitating disorder that affects how you think about things, how you feel, and ultimately how you behave. It can last for months or years and affects populations of all age group. Most common symptoms are prolonged depressed mood, diminished interest in all or most activities, fatigue, insomnia, feeling of worthlessness or guilt, poor concentration or indecisiveness, weight gain or loss. In an average year in the U.S. 20 million people become clinically depressed, and the number of people exhibiting symptoms of depression continues to grow and is projected to continue growing through 20201. Depression does not have the visibility that cancer and heart disease have in our culture, but it has an impact that is comparably devastating, causing substantial distress for the sufferers and their families. Treatment and loss of work time attributable to depression cost an estimated $44 billion per year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Even though medications have been considered a primary course of treatment for depression in conventional medicine, recent research has raised questions about their actual effectiveness. The study, involving four meta-analyses of antidepressant efficacy, suggested that antidepressants may be only marginally efficacious compared with placebo.
Neuroscience demonstrates that there is a basis in the brain for depression and other mood problems. Research at the University of Wisconsin shows that depressed people experience a reduction of activity in the left side of the brain. This is the side that operates to get us engaging in positive moods and effective social interactions. For example, many studies have shown that on average, mood is better when the left frontal cortex is more active than the same location on the right.
Neurofeedback is a good alternative or addition to the standard therapy which helps to alleviate symptoms of depression and offers the possibility of reducing medication and in many cases eliminating the need for it.
Using neuroimaging (QEEG) we can identify the source of the problem, choose the best training protocol, retrain the brain in a right location and monitor the progress. This allows you to restore normal brain waves distribution and normal brain regulation.
Multiple studies have shown significant improvements in mood with Neurofeedback for depression.
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