Thirty years of medication: Sooma brought change

I got sick when I was 23. About three years after that, I was diagnosed with a mixed episode of bipolar disorder. Since becoming ill, I have been under psychiatric outpatient care. I was started on medication as soon as I got sick. In addition, I got into therapy, which I attended for many years.

Over the course of thirty years, my medication has been somewhat changed from time to time and newer drugs have been tried. It has been possible to keep my illness under control with the help of medication. So I have had regular medication right from the time I got sick until 2017. Supported by medication, I have been able to function.

In recent years, while on medication, I began to suffer increasingly from bad side effects caused by the medication. When the side effects became intolerable, the existing medication started to be reduced and new drugs were sought instead. This followed a period of several years, during which I was tried practically every possible medicine that could be prescribed to treat my illness. All the medicines had bad side effects and the medicines had to be stopped. Only one drug could be kept as a small dose. When the medication had to be removed during 2017-2018, my condition started to deteriorate.

During 2019, the situation became really bad. The next diagnosis was severe depression. In the fall of 2019, my doctor had to state that the only things left to try were electrotherapy (ECT) and direct current stimulation therapy (tDCS). I didn’t want to try electrotherapy. There was no Sooma tDCS treatment available in my hospital district. In the autumn of 2019, I sought for tDCS treatment at Sooma Clinic. I already stated when contacting the Clinic that I don’t believe the treatment can help me, this is just my last hope.

I noticed a clear change in my mood only after five weeks of treatment. The change must have happened gradually; I just didn’t realize it right away. During the treatment, the next of kin was already of the opinion that the treatment was beneficial. As time passed after the treatment period, my condition started to deteriorate again. I started maintenance treatment, which has now continued for several months. The frequency of treatment sessions is adjusted together with the nurse according to the condition.

My health before the treatment was really bad. Sooma tDCS treatment helps me. The constant fatigue and paralysis has eased a bit. The treatment reduces my tearfulness and depression, the feeling of sadness and evens out my mood. I consider it particularly important that the treatment removes the anxiety I experience and helps with the difficulty in eating due to anxiety. My ability to function is better. I get to do different things during the day. I especially like that the treatment can be performed at home. Regular contact with the nurse has also been important.