Flow provides clinicians with a drug- and side-effect-free depression treatment option that can be monitored remotely using Flow's clinical platform1.
The Flow treatment consists of three parts:
Together the Flow tDCS Headset and the Flow Depression App provide your patients with the tools they need to treat their depression at home.
While the Flow Clinician Platform enables you to track how your patients are responding to the treatment and personalise treatment plans based on those results.
The Flow tDCS Headset is a small and portable device designed for at-home use. By delivering a weak current (2mA) to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) via electrodes placed on the forehead, the stimulation activates and strengthens neural pathways. The DLPFC has been shown to be less active in those with depression2. The stimulation helps to reactivate the neural networks associated with regulating emotions and other cognitive functions such as concentration, initiative, memory, and alertness.
Since Flow is able to directly target specific brain areas involved in depression, the side effects are less severe than those from antidepressants3. This patient-friendly headset is one of the first treatment options to provide a non-pharmacological and non-invasive way to target the physical causes of depression without severe side effects.
The Flow Depression App guides patients through the stimulation program. To access the stimulation headset, users are asked on a weekly basis to complete the Montgomery and Åsberg Depression Rating Scale self-assessment (MADRS-s). The app acts as a data collection engine, gathering patient symptom data each week to easily track progress over time.
In addition, the app offers the foundations of behavioural therapy in easy-to-digest content modules written by licensed psychologists. These courses help support your patients create and incorporate healthy habits proven to reduce and address underlying causes of depression.
As a clinician overseeing your patients' treatment, you have access to Flow’s secure online Clinician Platform via any computer or mobile phone. The Flow Clinician Platform allows you to remotely track your patients' adherence and response to the treatment program over time. Gain more time back for inpatient visits by having weekly insights already at your disposal.
In addition, the platform enables you to customise the stimulation treatment protocol based on your patient’s specific needs.
When Flow is used without clinical oversight, there is a standard treatment schedule which is split into two phases; Activation and Strengthening. This standard protocol is based on various tDCS studies and has been proven to be both safe and effective4-6. However, as depression varies by person, the amount of stimulation a patient may need to receive their best results can vary. The Flow Clinician Platform provides you with the ability to customise the treatment protocol to your patients' needs.
Flow has been helpful for patients with mild, moderate, and severe depression types. Flow has over 7,500+ headset users and covers patient cases from newly diagnosed to chronic1.
Dr Ana Ganho Ávila talks through how she uses Flow in her clinic and the benefits Flow provides to her and her patients.
Flow helps her provide a tDCS solution patients can take home with them today.
1. Data on File. 2. Koenigs M, Grafman J. Behav Brain Res. 2009;201(1):239-243. 3. Chhabra Harleen et al. Psychiatry Res. 2020. 4. Fu Cynthia H.Y., et al. J Psychiatric Research. 2022;153:197-205. 5. Borrione L, et al. J Affect Disord. 2021;288:189-190. 6. Ganho-Ávila Ana, et al. Front Psychiatry. 2022;13.