Optimizing Use of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Psychiatric Patient

Abstract

Psychiatric management for difficult-to-treat, also known as ‘treatment-resistant’, mood disorders is limited. Depression that is chronic and persistent in spite of adequate dose and duration of standard psychopharmacologic strategies remains a highly impactful yet understudied area. With the advent of neuromodulatory interventions, like vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), symptom improvements may be less elusive than previously thought. However, due to a host of limitations on the part of provider knowledge, insurance coverages, or identification of properly indicated patient populations, VNS is widely underutilized despite its efficacy and benefit. In this review, we detail a variety of considerations surrounding the use of VNS, as well as practical information for the part of the clinician. VNS represents a burgeoning treatment option and continues to hold promise in some of psychiatry's most marginalized patients. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2022;52(7):288–293.]