Electrosleep: Can Headphones Cure Depression Anxiety and Insomnia?

The Psychiatrists Guide - A podcast by Rafael Coira, MD, JD and James Sherer, MD

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In March 2019, the FDA cleared a pair of headphones called Cervella which promises to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. What's the science behind this and other cranial electrotherapy stimulation devices and do they work?Episode Artwork derived from a work by Andreashorn and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en Sources: Shekelle PG, Cook IA, Miake-Lye IM, Booth MS, Beroes JM, Mak S. Benefits and Harms of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for Chronic Painful Conditions, Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia: A Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med. ;168:414–421. doi: 10.7326/M17-1970 (https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2672602/benefits-harms-cranial-electrical-stimulation-chronic-painful-conditions-depression-anxiety?doi=10.7326%2fM17-1970)Feusner JD, Madsen S, Moody TD, et al. Effects of cranial electrotherapy stimulation on resting state brain activity. Brain Behav. 2012;2(3):211–220. doi:10.1002/brb3.45(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3381625/)