Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation: A Case Study
Download Article he Correctional Psychologist, 40(4):4-8, 2008
A 19-year-old Caucasian male was asked to volunteer for a series of CES treatments due to his history of aggression and violence. He physically attacked a detention center security officer and failed in 2 prior attempts to complete his substance abuse program. He was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Prognosis by treatment staff was mixed to very poor. He had a history of head traumas, drug use including marijuana, cocaine, opiates and barbiturates, and described his childhood as unhappy and painful. He was active, aggressive, irresponsible, rebellious, and stubborn. Problem areas included difficulties getting along with others, including peers and teachers. He experienced frequent nightmares and had an intense fear of failure. The subject had 15 CES treatments lasting between 20 and 40 minutes each over a 45 day period, with a self-chosen current level between 300 and 400 µA. The 16 PF revealed that strong positive changes were found in 7 of 16 factors while positive changes smaller in magnitude were found in 3 additional factors. The subject’s scores suggested reductions in tension and apprehension, and important increases in warmth, spontaneity, liveliness, sensitivity to others, and affiliativiness with others, as well as an increased openness to change. 5 factors seem to reflect changes in a negative direction: dominance, vigilance, privateness, reasoning and abstractness. The increase in dominance and vigilance may have been influenced by his promotion to pod leader. The abstraction and reasoning scores showed a person who is imaginative and idea oriented rather than practical and solution oriented. These two factors moved from centrist positions to strongly abstract. Normally abstract thinking is associated with increased intelligence and the authors suggested that may be the case with this subject. During the treatment period the subject received no disciplinaries and his mean weekly pull-up averaged only 1.8 per week. Disciplinaries were given for major infractions like stealing and violence whereas pull-ups were given for minor infractions like being late for group or talking in the shower zone. Overall improvements were dramatic, reflecting an individual who is more relaxed, interested in others, and open to change. These results, along with low-cost, minimal training for mental health staff, and only minor side effects, suggests CES as a treatment for non-predatorial aggressive and violent behavior warrant further study.
