Neurofeedback for Depression
What is depression?
We all might have gloomy days and experience negative thoughts and emotions. When this “low mood” days continue and feeling happy becomes difficult, even in the presence of things that was pleasant and joyful in the past, it means the brain has lost its balance and need help to get back to its regular condition.
“Depressive disorder” is a mood disorder that causes disturbing symptoms. These symptoms affect the person`s feelings, thoughts, and daily activities like working, eating, and sleeping.
Research suggests that depression is the result of a combination of biological, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors.
Symptoms of depression:
- Continuous feelings of sadness, anxiety, or “emptiness”
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, or guilt
- Lack of interest in activities and hobbies
- Fatigue or reduced energy
- Restlessness or irritability
- Difficulty with concentration, memory, and decision-making
- Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, excessive sleeping, or early-morning awakenings
- Increase or decrease in appetite and weight
- Thinking about death or suicidal ideation
- Headaches, muscle aches, or digestive symptoms with no obvious cause that do not get better with treatment
Benefits of Neurofeedback for Depression
There is an imbalance in the prefrontal lobes of a depressed brain. Since the prefrontal of a brain is related with mood, this imbalance or asymmetry causes depressed mood, distress, and disturbed feelings.
Also, poor communication between two hemispheres of the brain can cause problem in mood.
During the assessment session, as a first step, I will look into your brain function and find out what brainwave patterns causes your symptoms.
Throughout your Neurofeedback sessions, with a personalized training program, your brain will learn how to generate correct brainwaves in order to improve the brain imbalance and hemispheres communication which will lead to improvement of the depression symptoms.
References
Quevedo K, Yuan Teoh J, Engstrom M, Wedan R, Santana-Gonzalez C, Zewde B, Porter D, Cohen Kadosh K. Amygdala Circuitry During Neurofeedback Training and Symptoms’ Change in Adolescents With Varying Depression. Front Behav Neurosci. 2020 Jul 22;14:110. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00110. PMID: 32774244; PMCID: PMC7388863. [PubMed] [Ref.]