tDCS - Experiences from a Psychiatry & Neurology Practice

"We’ve been offering treatments with various neuro-physiologically oriented methods since 2014, including tDCS, rTMS, and neurofeedback. These methods have proven to be good alternatives or
supplements for complex psychosomatic and psychiatric-neurological clinical conditions. In the meantime, we have specialized in therapy-resistant cases that have not or only insufficiently responded to the previous guideline-oriented therapy.

We regularly use tDCS in the treatment of depressive episodes, anxiety disorders, and pain management. We have had particularly good outcomes with fibromyalgia patients and chronic pain patients.

We select the appropriate stimulation sites according to scientific protocols from double-blind studies. We achieve very good clinical results especially in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
(DLPFC) and the sensorimotor cortex. In the case of positive response after 5 to 10 days, we usually work with daily applications over 15 sessions (3 weeks). In complex cases, interval therapy with the same stimulations every 3 months has also proved successful, which has led to good results in the long term.

In addition to the usual 2-electrode procedures, we have also had good outcomes by using neurorehabilitation during the therapy of hemispastic patients with bi-cathodal stimulation (4 electrodes by splitter cable) over the sensorimotor cortex. In addition to improvements in spasticity, there were also good motor improvements after lesions that had occurred further in the past (in one case of stroke as long as 5 years ago). Moreover, we achieved cognitive improvements and, in the case of left-lateral lesions, positive effects on word-finding and speech flow.

tDCS therapy is also a very good option for patients who do not wish to take drug treatments or for whom medication-free methods are more appropriate from a medical point of view. There are several options for application. For example, after extensive assessment of the causes, even slight cognitive disorders can be modulated.

The different procedures complement each other in their application. By now, tDCS has become an integral part of our therapeutic approach due to its good efficacy and simple handling. It is a treatment method that can be very well integrated into the clinical routine of a psychiatric-psychotherapeutic practice.“