Living with chronic depression
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
By: Maiken Scott
mscott@whyy.org
Chronic, severe depression. Medications. Suicide Attempts. Therapy. Hospitalization. Tara Aliotta, 50, of New Jersey has battled depression since she was 11 years old, and the illness has wreaked havoc on her life. She has tried many different approaches to overcoming depression, but so far, nothing has made a difference in her life.
Now she is attempting what she calls her “last chance” at getting better. In May, Tara underwent surgery for “DBS” – Deep Brain Stimulation. DBS is a surgical treatment involving the implantation of electrodes into the brain, which send electrical impulses to specific parts of the brain. This is part of a study by the University of Pennsylvania.
On this site, you can follow Tara's journey and see if this dramatic step will pay off for her.
Get notification of updates on Tara's condition via 
June 22, 2009 Tara has entered the next phase of the study she is participating in. After recovering from brain surgery, she is now in the blinded portion of the study. This means neither Tara nor her doctor, psychiatrist John O'Reardon, know whether the device that was implanted into Tara's brain is turned on or not.
Half of the people who are participating in the study will have their devices turned on, the other half will not.
I met up with Tara at Dr. O'Reardon's office last week, right before this phase of the study was going to begin. The blinded phase will last 16 weeks, and after that, every patient's device will be turned on so that they can experience the potential benefits of the procedure.
After talking to the principle investigator in the study, Dr. O'Reardon, we decided to not post any interviews during this blinded phase, because our discussions could compromise the study.
I will be in touch with Tara throughout this period, and we will resume our reporting on her story in October.
This is the last interview with Tara until the blinded phase has ended. Listen:
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May 14th, 2009 Ten days after her six-hour brain surgery, Tara continues to recover at her parents' home, and will be off from work until July. At the earliest, the device that was implanted into her brain will be turned on in early June. She says while it is not in her nature to be optimistic, she is hopeful that the surgery will pay off.
Maiken Scott spoke with her on the phone. Listen:
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May 6th, 2009 Tara Aliotta spent the first day after her operation in intensive care, and will spend one more day in the hospital. Since she is participating in a research study she won't know if she will be in the control group, or in the group of people whose brain stimulation devices will be turned on. If her device will be turned on, it won't happen until the beginning of June so that she can fully recover from surgery. Maiken Scott visited her today:
Scott: Tara is recovering from surgery and seemed in good spirits. I had brought my camera but didn't feel comfortable asking her if I could take a picture. She looked fine, but her eyes were swollen, and there were two bloody marks on her forehead, as well as two stapled scars on her head. All of this will disappear, but the question is whether her depression will fade along with the scars from the surgery. She seemed happy to see me, and remembered several parts of her surgery. Everybody participating in the study will get their brain stimulation devices turned on eventually, but for the first few months of the study, they won't know if their device is on or off. Tara said she is looking forward to going home, and is hopeful that all of this was worth it.
Interview with Tara post-op–Listen:
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May 5th, 2009: Dr. Gordon Baltuch called yesterday afternoon to say that Tara Aliotta's surgery went well. Tara will be in the intensive care unit for the next two days.
Listen:
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Story: Testing a new approach to treating severe depression
Maiken Scott – May 4, 2009
A study at the University of Pennsylvania is evaluating if a surgical procedure could help people who are suffering from severe depression.
May 4th, 2009: Dr. Gordon Baltuch of the University of Pennsylvania Health System performed the six-hour surgery to implant the electrodes into Tara's brain. Before the surgery, he explained the procedure:
Listen:
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May 4th, 2009 Tara arrived at 6 AM at Pennsylvania Hospital for brain surgery. During the procedure, electrodes will be implanted deep into her brain, in hope to stimulate areas that are not functioning correctly. Maiken Scott spoke with her and her mother before the surgery:
Listen:
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May 1st, 2009 Tara came to the WHYY studios before undergoing a series of blood tests at Pennsylvania Hospital. She talked to Maiken Scott about her history of depression, and what her life is like living with this disorder.
Listen:
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Most of the Time, I feel Death is the only end to this tremendous Torment. I don't want to hurt by devoted Dad or Extraordinary and Compassionate Doctor. I don't believe I can endure this playing at life much longer.
I am heartfully sorry. I will do my best. I promise everyone that was my operation throughout. Noone is to blame. It is an Illness! SEVERE!
Tara,
My heart breaks for you. I feel your pain, literally. I just completed a full-year of DBS. So far, so nothing.
Yes, it is an illness: enough said.
I admire your courage and I share your struggle.
We kid ourselves, don't we? We kid ourselves that we are the only ones enduring this illness. How else can we make sense of it, huh, other than that we'll shoulder the burden of this illness to spare others the pain. I am sorry to hear that my shouldering hasn't spared you–and–I am here to testify that your endurance hasn't spared me.
May tomorrow be a better day–and–may this plague leave us as mysteriously as it arrived.
I hope my words did not upset anyone
To All Observers, I am so Appreciative to be afforded this tremendous opportunity of DBS. And I especially want all my Doctors, especially Dr. John O'Reardon (University of Penn) to know he has helped me tremendously and without Him and my Parents I would be in a Morgue somewhere, God Bless all of You. I hope I make it!
Tara A. Aliotta
Dear Sadano,
In my most desperete hours what kept you alive when you felt that incredible inner torment
and despair? I plan on reporting more regarding
the "Active" Stage.
I have 3 Totally Competent and Empathetic Doctors, Dr. John O'Reardon, Dr. Bhati, and Dr. Connolly who work so dillegently on my case.
Honestly the Severe Depression and Agitation have exacerbated in the "Active 'Stage. Currently I feel Hopeless!
As a depressive sufferer since i was 15 and living in Cape Town South Africa i would like to know more about DBS, my son is a Dr. in neuropsychology at Colwyn Bay Brain injury hospital in Wales and would be very interested in having DBS as i am 60years old would love to enjoy my grandchildren and spend my last golden years free of depression,hope to hear from you soon
I have had this treatment in the UK and and in phase 1 of the study. The treatment has not helped me yet, despite some very promising initial results. I think that the name of the game here is patience as whilst this is new and experimental I think that it is a case of finding the setting that actually works for you. In the USA I think they go with the settings which (if any did) showed some promise acutely so hopefully your wait for a positive result will be quicker than mine currently is. Keep hpoing and keep in touch as this does look to be a powerful treatment and we are priviledged to be involved!
I hope this works for Tara. I too have suffered/lived with depression since about age 11 also. I've tried every medication, Electro Shock Therapy, I have been hospitalized several times, psychotherapy, etc. I dont even remember what happy is anymore. Hopefully this works and there will be hope for all of us. Thanks for making this story public WHYY.
Dear Sadano,
Sincere appreciation for your kind words of encouragement. I feel like I am in the battle of my life. Treatment takes enormous time and patience.
I was very glad to know DBS made an enormous change in your life. I will do my best to hang on to those words like a life preserver afloat in a deep and dark ocean.
Thank you for responding so positively.
Best regards,
Tara
Thank you so much for this. My adult child is a candidate for this surgery. . These interviews have filled in a lot of gaps. My child's struggle has been much like Tara's . It is difficult to walk the line between hope and disbelief that anything will ever lift the depression. Dread of what the outcome might be if unsuccessful suffuses all aspects of our lives.
I was in the pilot project of this experiment. Now I am doing wonderfully well, but it took a while before my doctor and I found the right adjustment for my stimulator. I did need a lot of courage and determination not to give up before that adjustment was found. I wish for Tara to keep hoping and be positive about it because that operation made an enormous change in my life and I hope it will do the same for her
Sadano,
When you say, "my doctor" and "settings" can you tell me WHO that doctor is and WHAT those settings are–or–how those settings were determined?
In a study setting, I am loathe to report that the "doctors" are puppet programmers and the "settings" are predetermined.
Can you offer some insight, per chance some hope?