Battle against depression takes an experimental turn

AS Susan sits chatting to a nurse in a clinic, a light tapping sound by her head signals that parts of her brain are being zapped by thousands of tiny electromagnetic pulses from a machine plugged into the wall.

The 50-year-old doctor is among growing ranks of people with so-called treatment-resistant depression and, after 21 years fighting a disorder that destroyed her ability to work and at times made her want to “opt out of life”, this is a last resort.

Until recently, Susan and others like her had effectively reached the end of the road with depression treatments, having tried the best drugs medical science had to offer, engaged in hours of therapy, and tried cocktails of both.