Dr. Ulrike Vogelmann is a senior doctor at the Technical University of Munich. She treats people with depression and studies how brain stimulation can help. Here she shares what she has seen with Sooma tDCS, and what it can mean for you.
New to tDCS? Read about how tDCS works first. The rest of this page assumes you already know the basics.
How brain stimulation can help with depression
There are three main ways to treat depression. Talking therapy and medicine are two of them. Brain stimulation is the third. Dr. Vogelmann calls it "the third pillar of treatment".
In depression, some patterns of activity in the brain become unbalanced. tDCS uses a weak electrical current to help bring that activity back into balance.
Help that can reach you sooner
The evidence for tDCS is “particularly strong” for people with moderate depression and many of them need help quickly. But that help can come late, or not at all, Dr. Vogelmann says.
Because you can do the treatment at home, it can fit around your life. This often helps if you work, or if you look after a family.
What treatment at home is like
You can use Sooma tDCS at home. A weak current passes through soft pads that rest on your head. An app guides you through each session, step by step.
It is made to be simple to use. As Dr. Vogelmann puts it, “even patients over 80 can use the Sooma app without any problems.”
The app keeps track of your sessions, so you can see how things are going. If a clinic is treating you, a doctor or nurse can follow your progress too.
Taking an active role again
Dr. Vogelmann has used Sooma tDCS with her patients since 2023. One change she notices is not about symptoms. "Patients have the feeling that they can actively do something themselves," she says. Many feel they are getting back control over how they feel.
When people see that the treatment is working, they keep going with it, and this is most often the case.
Another way out of depression
Depression can be treated in more than one way today. tDCS is a gentle option with no medicine involved. You set the pace, and if you have a care team, they can support you along the way.
Read more about Sooma tDCS
