Reality TV star Gemma Collins has been reprimanded by Britain’s advertising watchdog for promoting a pulsating headset that claims to treat depression.
The advert posted to her Instagram, which has since been deleted, was said to ‘encourage people to take treatment for depression into their own hands’ instead of seeking medical help for the condition.
Collins, who has 2.2million Instagram followers, was ordered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to remove the advert for the £400 device immediately.
In the clip, she is seen wearing the experimental gadget, called Flow Neuroscience AB, which sends mild electric shocks to the part of the brain responsible for regulating mood.
She goes on to state: ‘I’m off my depression tablets and this has been a real game changer for me. Flow actually works faster and better than antidepressants.
In the clip, posted on Instagram to Collins’s 2.2million followers, she is seen wearing the £400 Flow Neuroscience AB device which sends mild electric shocks to the part of the brain responsible for regulating mood
The ad, which was posted in May last year, drew the ire of the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) which said the post violated rules designed to stop ads from discouraging people from seeking treatment for medical conditions
‘It’s like having your own therapist in the comfort of your own home. You’re fully in control of your own treatment.’
Text accompanying the post also stated that the device ‘reduces depression in 88 per cent of people, according to Flow’s data.’
The ad drew the ire of the ASA when it was posted in May last year as it appeared to violate rules designed to stop ads discouraging people from seeking treatment for medical conditions.
The ASA disputed the sentences: ‘If you don’t have access to therapy or don’t want to be on antidepressants’ and ‘why not give it a go if you’re struggling with your mental health’.
This, the body said, suggested Flow could be used as an alternative to conventional treatment.
‘We considered that the reference to buying the device directly from the website added to the impression that consumers could bypass the medical consultation route,’ ASA ruled.
It added: ‘We considered that the claims were targeted at both those consumers who were weighing up treatment options at an early point in their illness and those who were currently receiving conventional medication or therapy for depression.’
Flow disputed ASA’s findings, highlighting how that the text accompanying the ad highlighted that people should consult their GP before thinking about using the device or changing their medication.
Collins herself endorsed Flow’s statement, the ASA documents state: ‘She believed the ad contained only personal observations and proven evidence and did not contain persuasive language.
‘The ad did not discourage essential treatment but, rather, flagged an alternative or supplementary one. ‘
But ASA said the text about consulting a GP was ‘insufficient’ to avoid its concerns.
‘We considered that this text did no more than suggest that consumers should arrange a consultation with a GP before starting to use the device,’ the ruling reads.
‘The text in the caption indicating that a GP should be consulted was insufficient to satisfy the requirement of the Code that ads must not offer treatment for depression unless that treatment was conducted under the supervision of a suitably qualified health professional.’
‘We considered that the ad trivialised the decision to come off antidepressants or not take them at all and encouraged people to take their treatment into their own hands.’
The Flow headset, which doesn’t need a prescription, is described as a ‘ brain stimulation wearable that leverages transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS) to activate the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex’, parts of the brain responsible for mood regulation
The ASA also highlighted NHS advice stating it is not recommended for people with depression to stop taking medication for their condition without supervision.
In 2021, NHS watchdog NICE updated its guidance for the psychiatric medication — taken by an estimated 8.6 million Brits — stating that patients should be tapered off the drugs as going cold turkey could result in withdrawal symptoms.
Doctors’ guidance advises that patients should be monitored while coming off antidepressants in case they suffer a mental health crisis.
ASA concluded its ruling by stating the ad discouraged ‘essential treatment’ for a medical condition and therefore breached the code.
It said the ad must not appear again in its current form and that Flow should ensure future ads avoid the same issues.
Collins has already removed the ad from Instagram.
A Flow spokesperson said: ‘Depression must, without question, be treated responsibly, and people must seek advice from a healthcare professional (HCP) before seeking treatment. We endeavour to make this clear in all of our communications and will continue to do so.’
‘We have spoken to Gemma following the feedback that it was not clear enough that an HCP should be involved in treatment, and her posts have been removed.’