A Controlled Trial of the Therapeutic Effects of Polarization of the Brain in Depressive Illness

1. A double-blind clinical trial of the therapeutic effects of passing small currents through the human brain in depressed patients is described. 2. Twenty-four patients were randomly divided into two groups; one group of 12 had currents of 250 µA passed from the eyebrows (anode) to the leg (cathode) daily for 12 days and no current for the next 12 days. The other 12 patients had the placebo first and the treatment during the second period. 3. There was no means of distinguishing whether current was flowing or not. Neither the patients nor the nursing staff were aware that one of the fortnights, was a "placebo" period. 4. Independent consultant psychiatrists assessed each patient at the beginning of the trial. Nurses made twice-daily ratings of mood, activity and talk on nine-point scales throughout the trial period. 5. Analysis of the results showed that the "between-treatments" variance was significant statistically, both for psychiatrists' and nurses' ratings, at between the 1 per cent. and 2 per cent. level.