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Can Brain Stimulation Help with PTSD?

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    Promise for brain stimulation in treating PTSD among the veteran population?

  • Duration 7:11
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One of -- the most disturbing things is that posttraumatic stress disorder is something that's suffered by about 31% of returning veterans from the theater of war and just recently there has been perhaps.

A new study up on that brain simulation in posttraumatic stress disorder.

I connected at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

And they have may have a breakthrough in that re leaving that our not our but that doctor -- -- is not because he's a brigadier general.

You -- USA's center for translational medicine and he joins us now from Washington DC welcome.

-- -- -- Welcome -- good morning -- Fine thank you very much explained this latest breakthrough perhaps about treating posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study opens up a lot of options forests.

Because inch shows that there are devices.

That emit an electrical impulse.

They can be used for treatment of the symptoms of their post traumatic stress disorder.

So it gives a choice to both doctors and patients.

Four treatments that are denied drugs and also -- can be used as us as a supplement.

To -- medications that are commonly prescribed and to the talk therapies that are used for the problems that the soldiers of veterans have.

For a lot of people they kind of understand generally what posttraumatic stress disorder as a PTS -- -- but explain the medical.

Description of contesting.

It's an emotional reaction to a trauma to a stressed that -- in individual has.

It took almost everyone will commonly after they've experienced distress.

Will have a us an emotional reaction.

Anxiety and depression.

And if it persists over time and interferes with daily life and then we diagnose it as a disorder.

And it will show up in ways that it interferes with.

Thinking in sleep -- and just being able to have in Iraq to and in relationships and and work and it often it really.

-- that point if it's many months after a person's.

Experienced that trauma and then it comes -- it falls into that class -- of conditions.

That we want to treat.

Isn't it true also bet PT SD can actually manifests itself in ways that may hide the actual.

Foundational disorder and -- -- alcoholism or of abuse Soros but some kind of element that a lot of people can suffer from but has other causes.

No absolutely and particularly sense what we're talking.

About soldiers and veterans who are young people.

Then in fact it it can show up in lots of different ways.

You know commonly with people feel bad Bill Self medicate.

And no self medicate with alcohol or drugs.

They'll definitely have problems sleeping.

They'll have problems at work they'll get into fights.

If there and an intimate relationship -- have problems with that.

The spouse or -- girlfriend and boyfriend sometimes have problems with their children so it can show up and all sorts of ways.

And so the new study talks about any.

-- brain stimulation.

And how is that administered and how much cheaper would that be or if it's not cheap or how much more effective would that be then than normal kinds of treatment for posttraumatic stress.

Well there are about five different kinds of devices.

That are being used so an issue one.

Works a little bit differently -- -- they have a common.

Element then that they deliver an electrical impulse.

Various power.

And in various ways and also kind of different frequencies.

Have -- each of these devices really affects the neural transmitters in the brain.

And in doing that it will help call on the individual well also help with mood and help with sleep and think it.

They also did their devices would work with what we -- the Paris sympathetic system which is.

Sort of the body's way of handling calming itself down.

And so good devices help with -- mind part.

And the help with the body part and there's therapy as I said -- five different ones each of them a little bit different each of -- different.

But technology to -- -- also with that has some can be used at home they're very inexpensive.

Some require you to go to the doctor's office and there's.

Considerable more expense to those.

Some of those are invasive that is an electrode has to be implanted.

In the brain.

When do soldiers and veterans actually have access to some of these devices -- some of these new techniques or is it just too new for them to actually have access to them.

None other out there I prescribe them actually -- pretty often.

-- one that is home use device very inexpensive.

I'm pretty new electrical stimulation.

It's.

And so that.

All I need to do is in fact write the prescription and then the patient can get it from the manufacturer.

Now it turns out that none of our government agencies at this point have recognized it as.

A and improved treatment not because any problems with it it's just.

The way things get approved and having to do with the cost and so forth.

So most often that did a veteran or soldier has either by this device on his or her own.

Or the manufacturers also have sponsors to get them for the patients Anderson.

And what really is the most important benefit this.

And this new research and an intriguing and -- -- Well -- -- -- -- -- put it -- it's -- it it it gives -- another choice and so we don't have to use drugs -- a lot of soldiers veterans don't want to use drugs their side effects with the drugs.

Commanders sometimes are worried if their soldiers are on drugs because it.

Oh will interfere.

With their visual acuity or -- -- reaction times.

And so to have a non drug choice is that really really positive.

Any any armed drawbacks to this new.

-- There -- they're really -- very safe and in my experience.

I've only had one patient that had any kinds of problems.

And in fact that was so a woman and she stopped it -- had no other problems after that.

And for most of -- most of these devices they're really haven't we haven't seen any serious problems with them.

I want to thank you very much -- -- -- an actress.

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