Breaking up is never easy – but it could now be improved thanks to a £400 headset worn for a few minutes a day.
Research shows the device can soothe the trauma of a broken heart by stimulating the brain with a mild electric current.
Volunteers who wore it after splitting from their partner felt less negative about life and had fewer symptoms of depression.
As the current passes through the skull, it fires up a part of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – a region that is underactive in depressed patients.
Gentle electrical stimulation – enough to trigger a slight tingling sensation – has emerged as an alternative to antidepressants for some people with low mood.
Volunteers who wore it after splitting from their partner felt less negative about life and had fewer symptoms of depression
Each wore a headset for 20 minutes, twice a day, for five days. In one, it fired a low-level electric current to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – found at the front of the brain
Pilot studies on the NHS are testing similar headsets to see if they can help treat mild depression.
The breakdown of a relationship is recognised as one of the most painful losses an adult experiences. It even has its own medical name – ‘love trauma syndrome’.
Although the psychological impact is usually temporary, for some it can have lasting effects. Many need counselling or prescription medicines to help.
Researchers from Bielefeld University in Germany and the University of Zanjan in Iran recruited 36 men and women diagnosed with love trauma syndrome and split them into three groups.
Each wore a headset for 20 minutes, twice a day, for five days. In one, it fired a low-level electric current to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex – found at the front of the brain. In another group, the current was aimed at a different part of the brain associated with the processing of risk and fear.
Research shows the device can soothe the trauma of a broken heart by stimulating the brain with a mild electric current
The third group wore the same headset but it was switched off.
The results, in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, showed stimulating the prefrontal cortex had the strongest effect – dampening down emotional response and boosting positive feelings. A month after the treatment stopped, volunteers still felt better. Researchers said the results are so promising that further, large-scale trials should be conducted.
In a report on their findings they said: ‘Love is one of the most wonderful feelings that can be experienced. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most painful.
‘Most experience love trauma syndrome at least once. It causes distress, depression, anxiety, mood swings and a risk of suicide.’
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