Can a pulsating headset really cure depression in 10 weeks?

It’s currently being trialled by the NHS, costs just £79 to rent and could be twice as effective as antidepressants. Hannah Fearn finds out how this device might transform the lives of millions who don’t want to get hooked on medication and haven’t been able to access therapy

The latest research shows a positive impact on users – one trial even found alleviated symptoms in 56 per cent of patients (Getty)

Luke Roberts has always struggled with anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, which he was diagnosed with at the age of just 13. However, during the pandemic, his mental health took a very dark turn. He was finishing a master’s degree and dealing with the impact of lockdown restrictions while also going through the emotional upheaval of a relationship breakdown.

“Somebody [close to me] said ‘You looked really depressed, and I think you need to seek some kind of help,’ so that’s when I started looking at options,” he explains. 

Roberts, from Essex, had tried cognitive behavioural therapy and other forms of counselling in the past, but found that he always fell back into old, destructive patterns of thinking. Yet Roberts, like many, was resistant to trying antidepressant medication, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).