Depression that's hard to treat
In presenting All in the Mind for 20 years, Claudia has explored the idea several times that depression is not just one thing, but more of an umbrella term and that different causes might need different solutions. For this special edition focussing on hard to treat depression, she finds out whether that more personalised approach to understanding depression is now filtering through to the treatments that people are offered. Hard to treat depression, where the usual approaches like talking therapies and anti-depressants don’t seem to work in the long-term, may happen in 30% of people with depression. Katie tells Claudia how living with depression that's difficult to treat is an ongoing journey and that learning new approaches has helped to recognise it more quickly and be able to lean into opportunities to do more about it. Studio guest, Barney Dunn, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Exeter University, explains new ways of helping people who may find themselves in a treatment gap. He discusses new research clinics across the country addressing this 'missing middle' that allow people to self-refer. And Claudia meets Ed Bullmore, author of 'The Inflamed Mind: A radical new approach to depression' who called for a better understanding of the root causes of depression in his book nearly a decade ago. How far does he see that progress has been made? Plus, Claudia goes to Kings College London to experience a new approach that's being trialled for use in your own home. Transcranial direct current stimulation or TDCS, involves a very small electric current applied to the temples. Research assistant Mia German and Professor Cynthia Fu explain the latest evidence. What does wearing the headset actually feel like? Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Erika Wright Editor: Ilan Goodman Studio Manager: Tim Heffer Production coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth