Over the course of his distinguished career, Michael Henry, MD, Director of the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Service at Mass General, has focused his clinical work and research on the care of individuals with treatment-refractory depression. Electroconvulsive therapy or ECT has long been the treatment selected when traditional antidepressants fail. However, many patients are reluctant to pursue this effective, but highly stigmatized, option.
But over the last decade we have seen new approaches to the treatment of depression, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), ketamine, and psychedelics, including psilocybin. For many years, our approach to depression treatment has focused on the development of drugs which “correct” the chemical imbalances thought to cause depression. The traditional antidepressants which modulate levels of neurotransmitters including serotonin do work, but not for everybody.
In Brain Reboot: New Treatments for Healing Depression, Dr. Henry discusses the array of treatments available for depression, helping the reader to navigate information on traditional antidepressants, as well as these newer approaches to treating depression. Although we do not fully understand how some of these new treatments work, Dr. Henry explains how these new strategies for treating depression take advantage of the brain’s plasticity and seem to “reboot” brain circuitry.
About Brain Reboot: New Treatments for Healing Depression
Everyone feels depressed sometimes. But a sustained lack of energy, a profound inability to enjoy life, or an overwhelming sadness that can render unbearable pain may be symptoms of something more. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you may be one of 300 million people worldwide who have depression. While we often think of pharmaceutical treatments as the best way to treat depression, the truth is that for many people they either don’t work or lose their efficacy after a time. But there is hope in the form of three groundbreaking therapies: ketamine, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In Brain Reboot, you’ll learn:
- How to get an accurate diagnosis
- How to determine what treatment(s) are best for you
- The efficacy of ketamine, TMS, and ECT
- A clear summary of benefits and potential side effects
- Step-by-step information for each treatment and FAQs
- Tips for supplementing your recovery with exercise, nutrition, and sleep
- Treatments on the horizon
Dr. Michael Henry’s life mission is to help anyone suffering with treatment-resistant depression; in Brain Reboot he provides everything you need to know about using ketamine, TMS, and ECT to regain your self and your life.
Published by Hachette Books.
Michael Henry, MD is the Director of the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Service at Mass General, Medical Director of the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation, and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His clinical work and research has focused on the management of treatment-refractory depression.
