Alternating current cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) for depression.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Depression affects 1-3% globally, posing a significant disease burden.
• Standard depression treatments (therapy, medication) are not universally effective and can have adverse effects.
• Cranial electrical stimulation (CES) is a portable device treatment for depression with reported minimal side effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness and safety of alternating current cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) compared to sham CES for acute depression.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CES to sham CES for acute depression in adults (18-75 years).
• Searched Cochrane Collaboration registers, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO up to February 2014.
• Data extraction focused on depression symptom reduction and treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects.

Main Results:

• No studies met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review.

Conclusions:

• Insufficient methodologically rigorous studies exist on CES for acute depression treatment.
• There is a need for high-quality, double-blind, randomized controlled trials to evaluate CES for acute depression.