EEG neurofeedback

[cbrons]

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Anybody know much about this modality? Do you recommend it for certain patients? If so, what condition(s)?

Increase theta waves, decrease beta waves? Heh...

Seems like another scam to me, especially when I examine some of the do it yourself at home products. However, I am simply uneducated on it.

 

[nitemagi]

Anybody know much about this modality? Do you recommend it for certain patients? If so, what condition(s)?

Increase theta waves, decrease beta waves? Heh...

Seems like another scam to me, especially when I examine some of the do it yourself at home products. However, I am simply uneducated on it.

It's a popular alternative treatment for ADHD. Data I believe is mixed, but the risks are low. Only limiting factor is $$. If the pt. can afford it, I say go for it. Think of it as biofeedback in learning to attune yourself to an attentional state (and can be used for other things too).

 

[Kvothe]

I was fortunate enough to find a long time practitioner who helped me tremendously with some of my ADD and "brain fog" issues. The problem is that there are so many people out there who just use one setting to treat everyone, which is bad. If someone is too hyper and you give them an uppity program they will get over stimulated. This actually happened to me and I was miserable for a week before I saw the doc again and we realized it wasn't a good protocol.

Check out the book "symphony of the brain". It's a pretty interesting story about the evolution of neurofeedback including positives and negatives about the current state of the modality.

 

[whopper]

I've seen some data backing it up but only on a weak degree. That data suggested that the EEG could help to identify if a medication was having a benefit by checking waves before and after treatment. I have heard of a place that charges uber amounts of money for this type of use for diagnostic purposes, and had a patient who went to that place. I read the report and thought it was garbage. It was saying she had schizoaffective disorder when in fact it was basically an eating disorder and borderline PD.

When I saw the report I figured this maybe something worthwhile or garbage, from that one case-I thought garbage. I really haven't had much experience with it, and that one place charged hand over fist, IMHO, trying to cater to rich people that believed paying more money equated with better care. If anyone knows of legitimate and effective use of an EEG in psychiatry let me know.

 

[nitemagi]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647288
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22617866
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22446998

Again, mixed data.

 

[Iwillheal]

Think of it as biofeedback in learning to attune yourself to an attentional state (and can be used for other things too).

To draw a crazy parallel, it's meditation, bottom up approach. Btw, the data is mixed indeed.

 

[cbrons]

Interesting.

Well I do know I am highly suspicious of the sites that are selling equipment to people to do this program themselves.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

To draw a crazy parallel, it's meditation, bottom up approach. Btw, the data is mixed indeed.

Pretty much this (and as whopper and nitemagi also mentioned). I've been underwhelmed by the data behind it thus far, particularly given the pricetag I've seen attached to it in the (admittedly-cursory) searches I've done. I also wonder if much of the benefit can't be explained simply by increased clinician contact and perhaps some of the behavioral and cognitive/self-awareness techniques they (advertently or inadvertently) teach. I'd recommend medication and, in children, parent training before this in a heartbeat.

 

[whopper]

My one patient that had the EEG at the pricey clinic, her husband was trying to get their money back and had a lawyer involved. He felt her stay at this place didn't do anything effective and he was told by several doctors including myself that the data behind EEG for diagnosis was questionable. HE paid something on the order of over 10K for it, and her stay at this place (not covered by insurance) was on the order of 50K.

 

[DrPablo]

Here's just a little more information.

I have been working in an outpatient clinic where multiple clinicians use neurofeedback to treat various mental illness. I have no personal experience with neurofeedback, but I hear patients and other clinicians share about the benefits they have seen (anecdotal evidence I suppose). These providers do not use it for diagnostic purposes and only for treatment. This particular clinic has contracts with local public schools, health facilities, community mental health, local VA clinic, and a local tribe. I think the level of confidence expressed from these organizations and the patients hold some value. In fact, the many of the nursing faculty at the local college participate in neurofeedback services and recommend it to others regularly.

On the other hand, I have ran into a couple of physicians who questioned the validity of this treatment.

I have also heard Symphony of the Brain is a good introduction to eeg neurofeedback.

I need to add that the cost for neurofeedback is generally covered by health insurance and any out of pocket expenses are on par with psychotherapy costs. At least that's how it is at this clinic.

 

[whopper]

If I was stymied on a patient's real diagnosis, I think I'd rather refer the patient for neuropsychological testing vs. EEG.

An advantage I have with where I currently work is one of the nation's top forensic psychologists works here and does testing on patients where we're stumped and can't quite make out what's going on. So far, pretty much everytime I've used his services, he's been able to give me a direction in where to go with the patient that I did not have before the testing.