Saw a news item today that lead me to search out this not so new technology.

I've had a defibrillator/pacemaker since 1993. Like the famous Timex - I'm still a ticking because of the technology.

What do you think?

Brain Pacemaker description from Wikipedia

Implantable electroshock therapy eases depression.

or

I like my mood swings and ill keep them. Hated the drugs and ill stay away from a welder in my head.

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

What's next, devices implanted at birth to assure that you develop thinking the "Right Way"?

It'll be a cold,cold day before they hot wire my head with a "mini shock therapy" unit!! Who controls the amount of voltage? Is it automatically set before implantation or can it be adjusted afterward by the doctor? What if it isn't working quite as well as they would like and decide you need a little more "juice"?? I've seen people first hand that have undergone conventional electro shock therapy and the results are not a pretty site. They suffer from everything from amnesia to being almost totally incapacited. Who is to say this device couldn't be abused by health care givers? No thanks, if it's that or my depression I'll take my depression any time.

I would have tried anything when i had post natal depression ..

Being a strong willed individual i refused to take any medication ....i had 5 small sons to care for and didnt needed to be doped up

I tried Yoga, crystal healing and hypnosis ..swimming cycling

I dont know whether they worked but it helped me in knowing i had a certain control over it

I would have tried this treatment i believe .. i was so desperate ..
My brain was just all out of sync ,, wouldnt shut down would not stop working overtime

It took a college course in Art And Design to finally put me on the road to recovery..
To bring me back to reality

6 years is a long time to suffer
Anyone who has had depression will know the torment it causes ....

And my heart is sad for those that suffer from or have suffered from depression - gentle hug.

And the very thought of it of this 'treatment' is scary indeed But that said, I think depression is perhaps seriously under-appreciated by our society. And while I could be wrong, I often wonder if it's 'the luck of the draw' that some suffer from it and some of us never do.

One of my dearest friends suffered so, so badly from it and people saying 'you have nothing to be sad about' surely didn't help. She wasn't sad, she was depressed - and I see this as two different things.

If this treatment had been available then I suspect I would have dragged her off for it. We lost her forever when one night she killed herself.

I've been using an anti-depressant for years. The way my shrink explained it, I was probably born depressed - there's something just not working quite right in my brain. She said the anti-depressant would bring me up to what would be considered, in "normal" people, as mild depression. So even on my best days, I'm still somewhat depressed. On my worst days, I could tell you how I feel, but then you'd have to kill yourself.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend Mara it is indeed tragic but unfortunatly all too common. Alot of people will say they're depressed when in fact they simply have a case of the old fashioned blues that goes away after several days or a couple of weeks. They don't realize what true depression is and the daily struggle that so many go through just to get out of bed and survive as best they can. Another thing that so many don't realize because it is seldom asked of one who has tried to commit suicide or discussed at all with anyone is the true intent when someone does commit suicide. When someone is in such a state that they do or try to take their own life it isn't necessarily that they want to die. Alot of times the actual physical and emotional pain is so hard to bear that they don't realize that they are chosing a long term solution to a short term problem. It comes down to did they really want to die or did they just want to scream "stop the world,I want to get off and have some peace of mind for just a little while" not realizing at the time that death is forever. True depression can be a debilitating disease but it is treatable with good doctors and the right medications and therapy. I referred to depression as a disease because so many look on depression as a weakness or something that one has brought upon themselves when in fact a large majority of the time it is due to an imbalance of chemicals that are naturally present in the brain and yes, I too suffer from depression and have for many years. As a matter of fact I get it coming and going because I'm bi-polar (manic-depressive). My manic spells are as painful for me as are the really depressive spells. Alot of people that are bi-polar have alot of "fun" when they are manic and that's why it's so hard to keep some bi-polar patients on their meds, they enjoy the highs.
I really can't see in this type of situation where a "Brain Pacemaker" would be of much use except to possibly cause more harm to those who already suffer enough.

Im scared of this new technology as the old technology (the pills) have usually made things worse for my family. I lost my grandfather to suicide in 1993 because he was on anti-depressants and when my Dad was put on them prior to the divorce he wasn't the same he was loopy and moody, just not the same man i knew. The idea was brought up plenty of times for me to get my head checked and go on pills as uhh, No thanks I'll take my chances with myself and not with a pill or a shock box.