Major Depression
Difficulties encountered which could be enhanced
Major Depression is characterized by a loss of pleasure and a sad mood sustained for several weeks, almost every day. Thoughts are negative, self-esteem is diminished, and the affected person tends to see life with pessimism.
Although several psychological elements are involved in major depression, more and more studies show that under-activation of certain regions of the brain would be associated with many of these cases.
Brain regions all have functions to manage. At the mood level, the left frontal lobe is involved to generate positive emotions. It therefore deals with regulating (containing) manifestations of negative emotions. For example, when injured, people often become more apathetic, depressed or get angry easily since the filter that held these emotions is no longer. They are therefore more likely to develop a depression.
Other more recent studies, including one published in 2018 in the well-known journal Nature, have shown that major depression, as well as several psychiatric issues, may result from poor communication between the frontal lobes and other areas of the brain. See Nature’s article.
When we perform the evaluation and analysis of the EEG, the neuropsychologist will then pay particular attention to the level of activity of the frontal lobes, as well as its many communications with other regions of the brain. With the latest-generation Neurofeedback equipment used in our clinics, we can now simultaneously train frontal lobe activity (to activate the left frontal lobe which is responsible for generating positive emotions) and at the same time bring about the communication needed with other regions. In this fashion, we have noticed an even faster progression of the condition in our customers.
- More positive mood
- Increased level of concentration
- Feeling of well-being accented
- Decreased fatigue
- Better control of emotions
Neurofeedback is currently rated as a Level 4 of 5 intervention for anxiety disorders according to the “Evidence-based Practice in Neurofeedback and Biofeedback 2016” reference guide. In general, clients perceive a decrease in their anxiety after 4 or 5 sessions, but usually continue a dozen more sessions of training with this protocol in order to reach significant levels of improvement
It has been shown that the benefits obtained with Neurofeedback are usually long-lasting and even with optimized brain capabilities, they continue to improve in the following months until the end of the Neurofeedback workouts.