An trustworthy verdict on the NHS-backed Flow Neuroscience Headset

According to ONS information from April 2025, 18 per cent of all adults within the UK suffered reasonable to extreme depressive signs.

Figures from the Priory Group recommend that, in any given week, one in six adults within the UK experiences a standard psychological well being downside, reminiscent of despair or nervousness. And the British Medical Association states that “The estimation* of the prevalence of common mental disorders (for example, anxiety or depression) amongst adults aged 16-64, for example, had risen from 17.6 per cent in 2007 to 22.6 per cent in 2023/4,” based mostly on the most recent data accessible.

Whatever the stats, the grim actuality is that despair is on the rise within the UK and has been for a while. With the beleaguered NHS struggling to align demand for psychological well being companies with strapped assets, the issue will solely proceed to deepen.

Is there something that may be finished on a private stage to assist fight despair that doesn’t contain anti-depressants? The NHS recommends pure strategies to handle depressive moods, reminiscent of socialising, exercising, routine, a nutritious diet, and reasonable alcohol consumption. Other fundamental however efficient strategies embody meditation or one thing so simple as moving into nature.

However, now there’s additionally this: a clinically confirmed, medication-free remedy for despair. The tDCS Flow Depression Treatment Headset from Flow Neuroscience.

Okay, you’re cynical, I can see that. After all, we’re basically speaking a few magic hat that claims to ease depressive signs with out antidepressants.

So, let’s undergo all of it, beginning with: what’s it, precisely? Technically, it’s a home-based transcranial direct present stimulation (tDCS) remedy system. In laymans, it’s a headset that makes use of a non-invasive process to ship a weak electrical present that stimulates an space of the mind known as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a standard goal for despair.

By doing so, it influences neurotransmitter manufacturing and helps enhance temper regulation, thereby easing the signs related to despair. It does this 10 weeks of day by day use, letting you monitor the likes of your temper, sleep, urge for food, and focus ranges by way of the companion app.

In scientific trials, most customers began seeing enhancements after three weeks, however analysis recommends that no less than six months (or as much as 12 months in some instances) of use after profitable remedy could be very important in stopping the mind from returning to depressive patterns.

The system is already being utilized by 4 NHS trusts throughout Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and West London, with each independently publishing their findings. In October 2024, the biggest scientific trial into tDCS within the UK and US was revealed by the peer-reviewed medical journal Nature Medicine.

In the trial, the placebo-controlled Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) was carried out by Kings College London, the University of East London and UTHealth Houston, the outcomes talking for themselves, with sufferers who used Flow for 10 weeks discovered to be twice as prone to see their despair go into remission than these within the management group who carried out the identical ritual with the present switched off.

To strive it, the nice individuals at Flow despatched me their tDCS Headset Starter Kit. This consists of the headset, a charger and cable, 10 weeks’ price of electrode pads, and a fast begin information, with which to check it.

However, my psychological well being is definitely cheap, so I had a chat with an in depth buddy who had been struggling with key despair signs. They agreed to strive the system and report again on perceived progress at common intervals. I’ll name them affected person ‘X’.

Initially, regardless of being as sceptical as all of us had been some paragraphs in the past, X was keen to provide the Flow the good thing about the doubt. Recommended utilization is 5 instances per week for the primary week, in durations of half-hour, the ‘Activation Phase’, then diminished to only two instances per week within the ‘Stabilisation Phase’. Finally, within the ‘Maintenance Phase’ entered from week 10, you may proceed with two classes per week or enhance them as deemed essential.

An analytical individual by nature, the Flow app held essentially the most curiosity for X, strolling them by the precise Brain Stimulations classes, whereas additionally offering ample data by way of charts on progress over the course of the scheduled stimulation classes. It additionally gives a variety of programs on methods to reverse the despair cycle, meditation, exercising the mind, how food plan might help, and higher sleep patterns, which X ‘dabbled’ in, time allowing.

Completing the 10-week program in October 2025, X observed a marked enchancment typically temper, focus and enhanced, what you may name, joie de vivre round 4 weeks in, adopted by improved circadian rhythm round week six, resulting in decreased nervousness.

With these clear enhancements achieved, X dropped down to 2 weekly classes and continues to learn from utilizing the Flow Neuroscience system as we speak, when deemed essential.

I’m additionally happy to report that the distinction in X’s disposition over that point was clear to me throughout our weekly socials, with temper boosted again to a spot that was undeniably extra “them” once more.

* Due to a cyber incident affecting numerous psychological well being service suppliers, some indicators between August 2022 and March 2023 use estimated information supplied by NHS England.