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Sep 20, 2006 9:25 am US/Central
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Implantable Device Can Help With Depression
by Dennis Douda
(WCCO)
Michael Young needed help, especially on the long, lonely trips he'd take driving his truck across country. It gave him a lot of time to think about his life and how unhappy he really was.
"There were times I would start crying and couldn't stop and I wanted to end it all, for no reason," Young said. "It's the feeling you just don't care anymore."
Doctors prescribed electroshock therapy 31 times for Young, but that caused him to lose long-term memory.
After he thought about committing suicide, and almost acted on it, he decided something else had to be done. That's when his psychiatrist recommended a Vagus Nerve Stimulator be implanted in Young's chest.
After implantation, the device is surgically wired to the neck's left vagus nerve, a major pathway for nerve signals to the brain from the heart and torso.
Research suggests that repeated electronic stimulation of the vagus nerve can help treat severe depression by altering chemical and electrical functions in areas of the brain linked to mood disorders.
The device was initially developed to help epileptics control seizures.
It's estimated that nearly 21 million Americans suffer from depression, yet only one-third ever receive treatment. One-fourth of all women will suffer from depression in their lifetime, twice as many as men.
Young began to suffer from depression after ending a long bout of alcoholism.
"What started my depression? I quit drinking alcohol," Young said. "I was an alcoholic. I didn't know how to handle life after I quit drinking."
Since the nerve stimulator was implanted in Young this spring, the trucker has noticed a change in his mood. He said he's happier and healthier and looks forward to seeing his wife, kids and grandchildren.
Young's psychiatrist, Dr. Dean Knudson of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, is concerned about the cost to implant the device in people who need it but can't afford it. He is pushing insurance companies for a reimbursement plan.
Knudson said if you have one episode of depression, the odds are 50-50 you will have another. If you have three bouts of depression, the odds are overwhelming, about 90 percent.
Both Young and his doctor said there still is a stigma toward people who have depression. Young said he was embarrassed by his condition, but has since learned to live with it.
Depression can be a killer. More than 40,000 Americans commit suicide each year because of it.
And there is proof that depression can be bad for the heart. According to the University of California research, people who are depressed are at greater risk of heart disease and heart failure than the general public.
Some of the signs of depression are lack of sleep or too much sleep, no appetite, a feeling of anxiety and lack of energy, or the feeling that you seldom enjoy life. If any of these are a problem, you should see your doctor immediately because there is help for depression.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)