Patients with depression in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have reported significant improvements in their symptoms after using a new brain stimulation headset, as part of a pilot project being led by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust.

LPT’s crisis mental health team, which supports patients with severe depression who are at risk of admission to hospital, is the first NHS mental health crisis service in the UK to offer the Flow Neuroscience headsets as a treatment option during the pilot.

Eligible patients taking part in the six-week programme completed monitoring surveys throughout their Flow treatment, which was administered alongside regular patient check-ins with clinicians, weekly clinics and, in some cases, medication. For the majority of patients who took part in the pilot, their feedback showed the headsets made a significant improvement to their mental health and wellbeing.

Around 80% of patients reported a decrease in their depression symptoms, with some patients experiencing a drop in suicidal ideation by up to 75%, compared to how they reported feeling at the beginning of the pilot.

Data from the pilot programme also found the use of the Flow headsets helped to stabilise patients quickly, with significant improvements in patient mood within two to three weeks. In addition, one in three patients reported their symptoms had improved so much that they went into remission during the pilot period.

Flow Neuroscience headsets work by applying a gentle electrical current to stimulate and restore activity to an area of the brain called the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This non-invasion treatment, known as tDCS – or transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, helps to rebalance activity in this area of the brain, which is responsible for regulating mood, sleep and motivation.

Dr Mark McConnochie, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust consultant psychiatrist in a crisis resolution and home treatment, said: “Our aim is always to help people recover from, or prevent the escalation of, mental health crisis – and to see those people recover and go on to live fulfilling lives.  Wherever possible and when safe to do so, we want to treat people in their homes, rather than in hospital. This is often where they feel comfortable and so can provide a better environment to aid recovery. Longer term, the Flow headsets could help us to do more of this work and provide an additional, effective treatment option for patients to consider, particularly if medication isn’t suitable for them.

“As part of this pilot, we have seen patients who have been struggling with severe depressive symptoms for many years report rapid improvements in their symptoms. Many people involved in the pilot have expressed that the headsets have made a real difference to their lives.”

Jason’s story

One patient who has seen a significant improvement in his symptoms since trying the headsets is grandfather, Jason Everitt from Leicester.

Jason said: “I think that Flow is brilliant. I have had medication for years, but then I went through a stage where I was still trying to end my life. Since I have been on the Flow and on the medication, it has really helped me. I am positive now, whereas before, I wasn’t. I was always negative.

“I put it on for the first time and you think ‘I can’t really feel it’. But then as the weeks go on… if you saw me six months ago, 12 months ago, you’d be looking at a different Jason. It changed my life.”

After patients completed the six-week pilot, they were given clear advice on the ongoing use of the headset, when to stop and how to restart if they wished to do so.

Daniel Mansson, chief clinical officer and Flow Neuroscience co-founder said: “These results are very promising. We know from our studies so far that there is compelling evidence that Flow is a very successful depression treatment. Depression is a very complex condition, and having more options available to patients is vital. With suicide rates increasing rapidly, we must work together to bring down the number of people suffering from the devastating consequences of today’s mental health crisis.”

This latest trial is part of Flow’s broader NHS program, where is it accessible in five other NHS services, for the management of depression.

To read more about Flow’s depression treatment, visit www.flowneuroscience.com/

  • The Flow headsets are currently only being offered within LPT’s Crisis service in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, as part of a quality improvement project. This is limited for the treatment of depression for a specific group of around 80 patients to understand more about this new treatment method. Unfortunately, we are not currently able to offer these headsets or treatment to patients open to our other services, or who are receiving treatment for depression in primary care (through their GP).
  • We would recommend that anyone who is experiencing troubling symptoms of depression to seek support. More information about the full range of mental health support available locally is on our website. This includes neighbourhood mental health cafes, a new social prescribing website (Joy) that has details of activities and support available locally, through speaking with your GP surgery or calling NHS 111 option 2 if you need urgent mental health support.