Mood disorders
What are mood disorders?
What are mood disorders?
Our state of mind is highly dependent on internal and external factors. It is normal that our mood fluctuates.
We only speak of mood disorders when the mood is no longer in proportion with the environment.
The most common mood disorders are depression and manic disorders.
In order to meet the criteria of depression, there must be loss of general interest and a depressed mood for at least 2 weeks.
In depression, changes in activity and connectivity in the brain are observed.
The diagnosis is made by the general practitioner, psychiatrist or psychologist.
How can mood disorders be treated?
Medication and psychotherapy are tried and tested treatments.
With a drug-based approach, unpleasant side effects can often occur.
Neuromodulation, such as TMS, has been used for some time and is becoming more and more common in psychiatry. The effectiveness of TMS stimulation on the forehead (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) as a treatment for severe depression has already been investigated and proven in several centers. Also deeper regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex can be used as a target (Vanneste, S., Ost, J., Langguth, B. & De Ridder, D. 2014).
Relatively new techniques such as tDCS, tRNS, HD-tDCS and Neurofeedback are also used more often as treatment methods.
Neuromodulation can be combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. This combination appears to have a better effect than when both therapies are performed separately (Lana Donse, et al., Nov. 2017).
A qEEG can help us determine which neuromodulation technique could have the most effect.
