New Delhi: A new headset available in the United States for $2,200 is designed not for high-quality music or the latest features, but to help people fight depression. Made by Flow Neuroscience, the headset is FDA-approved and could help some people reduce their reliance on antidepressants.
Flow Neuroscience received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December for its FL-100 headset. The device is part of a growing category of wearable devices that can monitor or stimulate brain activity.
With around one in six American adults taking antidepressants, the Swedish company is presenting the headset as another option for people dealing with depression. However, priced at more than $2,000, it may take time before the device becomes widely used.
The headset is worn on the forehead for about 30 minutes a day and controlled through a smartphone app. It uses mild electrical stimulation on the left side of the brain’s frontal lobe, an area linked to mood and emotions.
Research suggests that people with depression may have lower activity and weaker connections in this part of the brain.
The device works on a similar area of the brain to create transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an established treatment for depression. TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate brain cells, but patients generally need to visit a clinic for treatment. A typical course involves sessions five days a week for several weeks and can cost as much as $15,000 without insurance.
Unlike TMS, Flow’s headset is designed to be used at home, making it a more convenient option for people who may not want or be able to visit a clinic regularly.
Flow CEO Daniel Månsson, a clinical psychologist before he cofounded the company, says he set out to make a more convenient option for patients.
“In order to have a real impact on the problem, you need to create something that has the effect on the brain needed, but that can be used in a home environment in a safe and effective way,” said Månsson.
Trial and use
The product has also been tested, and in a trial involving 174 people with major depression, the headset showed promising results.
After 10 weeks, 45 per cent of the patients who used the device no longer had significant symptoms of depression. In comparison, 22 per cent of those who received a placebo version of the device saw similar improvement.
The trial included people who were taking antidepressants as well as those who were not. According to Månsson, this suggests that the device may be used alongside medication under a doctor’s supervision.
Månsson further added that the device has been approved in Europe since 2019, and more than 65,000 people there have used it.
The UK’s National Health Service is also testing the headset as part of a pilot programme.
As the product is introduced in the US, people will need a prescription from a doctor or other qualified clinician to use the Flow device. The prescription can be obtained either through an in-person visit or a telehealth consultation.
Vinod Khosla, a billionaire investor and an early investor in Flow, believes non-drug treatments could play a bigger role in the future of depression treatment and people always prefer non -drug treatment.
“My bet is, if you ask any person who’s on depression drugs, they’d prefer not to be on them,” he said. “They’d like a nondrug, nonchemical treatment for it.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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