14 DAY TRIAL // Data published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry indicate that direct brain stimulation (DBS) may be an effective method of reducing the frequency and intensity of hallucinations in people suffering from schizophrenia.
DBS is still considered an experimental therapy, even though scientists have been practicing it for years. In hospitals, transcranial direct stimulation is used to treat depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, too.
Experts say that a new study showed this approach to be very effective in reducing the amount of auditory hallucinations schizophrenia patients experience. The positive effects lasted for up to 12 weeks after stimulation was interrupted, PsychCentral reports.
Treatment consists of two 20-minute stimulation sessions daily, conducted for five consecutive days. Three months later, patients still exhibited a positive effect, investigators explain.