National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences' clinical trials on repetitive cranial trans magnetic stimulation (RCTMS) on patients suffering from depressive disorders proves that the treatment procedure has no side effects.

The trials were on for six months and may continue for a year more to confirm its findings on the treatment option. Early evidences show that RCTMS has proved beneficial for major depression cases without resulting in side effects like other treatments would cause.

The NIMHANS team from the department of psychiatry continues to evaluate the usefulness of RCTMS. For the clinical trial 60 patients suffering from depression have been identified.

RCTMS is a non-invasive technique to induce electric currents in the brain. For treating chronic depression, RCTMS is administered in a focussed area of the brain to stimulate a local brain tissue and activate it. Although RCTMS is being evaluated as a possible alternative to electro conclusive therapy (ECT) for treatment of depression, studies are on to assess the pattern of activation induced in the brain.

The department of psychiatry has opted for both RCTMS and ECT to treat depression depending on its severity.

Using ECT is an expensive procedure for most mental health care institutes, informed sources at NIMHANS, which has now an indigenised ECT machine. NIMHANS entered into a joint agreement with an engineering group -National Institute of Quality and Reliability, Bangalore Chapter, that assisted in the development of ECT prototype at a cost of Rs. 20,000 as against the imported equipment priced at Rs. 4 lakh.

ECT has a higher success rate for treating severe depression, mania and schizophrenia which is not responsive to traditional methods of treatment. With the indigenised ECT the current required to produce a seizure is remarkably lower than the imported machine. In addition, the instrument is equipped with an EEG (electroencephalogram) to detect abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain. Although the NIQR members resorted to manufacture the ECT on 'service-demand', it was able manufacture and market only around 300 machines in the country.

NIMHANS has three ECTs and a major order was also placed by World Health Organization. Sources informed that the demand for ECTs in the country has declined as it is essentially a one-time investment and has now turned out to be an unviable business proposal. In the last one-decade NIMHANS handled around 5,000 depression cases, out of which 300 patients annually were administered ECT treatment.