Electrical stimulation and substance abuse treatment

The use of electrical currents for the treatment of disease has been considered since antiquity but it has only been in recent years that suitable devices have been available to scientific investigators to provide stimulation currents for clinical use. These devices have been used extensively for the relief of intractable pain and are an accepted treatment modality today. Other investigators have turned to the investigation of the effects of tiny currents, less than one milliampere, applied to the head. Recent investigations have been successful in the alleviation of such symptoms as insomnia, depression, and tremor. Other investigations have shown similar currents to be effective in relieving stress that accompanies withdrawal from substance abuse. In spite of these successes, resulting from scientific investigation of the effects of cranial electrical stimulation, there is still a general reluctance to use this new modality. It is the purpose of this paper to review pertinent aspects of this treatment so the health care practitioner may make judgements with respect to the safety and efficacy of cranial electrical stimulation.