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Ed Yeates Reporting In their darkest hour, people with severe depression may have found a way to zap their illness.
Ed Yeates sets the stage for us with a patient who's all too familiar with the disease.
People with the worst kind of depression spend their darkness mostly in a dark room. They don't get out of bed. They don't socialize. In psychological and physical pain, they don't want to do anything.
Frederick Reimherr, M.D./ University of Utah Clinical Psychiatry: "Their depression has been severe enough that they've been judged disabled by the Social Security system, and they're unable to work."
But for some, that disability is fading away.
Candice Madsen, 23, comes to the University of Utah once a month. Dr. Frederick Rheimherr with the Moods Disorder Clinic checks a little device implanted just under the skin near her shoulder.
The Vagus Nerve Stimulator as it's called, sends a 30 to 35 second electrical signal every five minutes to that nerve - a stimulation that appears to be relieving her depression - depression that would not respond to even the best drugs.
Candice Madsen/Patient: "There were times I would have breakdowns and I wouldn't leave my house for months at a time."
The change is a gradual one. At first..
Candice: "When I wake up, getting up and getting out of bed."
Then...
Candice: "The next day, getting up, getting out of bed and getting out of my pajamas and into real clothes."
Then comes makeup, and caring about who you are.
Now, six months after the implant, Candice is painting, sketching and writing, and walking with her dad.
Candice: "Now I wake up. I have a million things. I'm always thinking of new projects I could be doing."
Dr. Frederick Rheimherr: "When you sit down and look at the scales, the gradings, talks with family members, you start to notice a slow evolution of their lives becoming much more normalized."
There is only one apparent side effect. Since the electrical stimulation is close to the voice box, there's sometimes a change in the voice.
Candice: "It's kind of like you have a sore throat. It doesn't hurt, but you have to kind of strain to talk."
But a simple tap on the device, and the voice returns to normal. It's a minor trade off, Candice says, compared to the benefits.
Candice: "It's been the biggest step, the biggest change. I don't know, I can finally look forward to the future now."
Out of the darkness!
In clinical trials at other centers, a third of the patients experienced at least a 50 percent improvement. One out of six were depression free within two years.
If you're interested in taking part in the trial, call (801) 581-8806.
