Brain stimulation

Sometimes, depression symptoms persist, even after months of therapy

and medication. If you have treatment-resistant depression, your care team
may recommend:

• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This treatment delivers electrical

impulses to the brain to trigger a seizure, which changes electrical
activity in your brain. You’ll be anesthetized during the procedure, so
you won’t feel anything at all. Keep in mind that modern ECT is very
different from the “shock therapy” administered in the mid-20th
century.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Also called repetitive
transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), this treatment delivers
magnetic impulses to your brain, which is believed to help stimulate
nerves in the brain and increase brain activity.
• Vagus nerve stimulation. This treatment, which stimulates your
vagus nerve through a device implanted in your chest, is believed to
help restore the balance of brain chemicals linked to depression.