Depression affects over 14 million American adults every year. Depression can be a debilitating disorder that interferes with an individual’s thoughts, mood, behavior and physical health. The effects of this illness can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses, and even result in suicide. While the exact cause of depression is not known, the leading scientific theory is that it is caused by an imbalance in the brain’s neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that send signals between brain cells. The symptoms are most often treated with antidepressant medications, which increase the levels of these neurotransmitters. But antidepressants don’t always work. Many patients do not achieve symptom relief through this course of treatment and often suffer debilitating side effects. Antidepressant consumers report side effects, including and not limited to, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness and weight gain. Despite advances in treatment, four million depressed patients each year have poor responses to, or are intolerant of their antidepressant medication. But now there is another option! A new FDA approved device is now being used in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. TMS is a new, and highly effective, option for treating major depressive disorder without the use of medication and its side effects. This innovative treatment was approved by the FDA for treatment of depression in 2009. TMS treats depression by using an electromagnetic field, similar to the magnetic fields used by MRI machines. The magnetic field produces electric pulses, stimulating the brain to heal itself through neurogenesis—the creation of new neurons that grow and form new connections. This results in changes in the brain that are beneficial in the treatment of depression. TMS Therapy uses a highly focused, pulsed magnetic field to stimulate nerve cells in the area of the brain that controls mood. The treatment is done as an outpatient procedure. The patient undergoes an initial evaluation, which is performed by the program medical director, Dr. Richard Price, M.D. If the patient is deemed a good candidate, treatment begins. The typical treatment course consists of five treatments a week for six weeks, for a total of thirty treatments, and then six tapering-off sessions. Each treatment session lasts about 37 minutes. During those 37 minutes, there are only four seconds in every thirty second interval in which the device delivers rapid “pulses” of the magnetic field, which can feel like tapping on the scalp. The magnetic energy used in a full course of TMS Therapy is a small fraction of that used in just one brain scan with an MRI. During the procedure the patient remains fully awake and alert, so that it is often considered beneficial to use the thirty-seven minutes of the procedure to conduct a psychotherapy session. This is entirely optional, but it can help the patient enormously, since during the treatment process the brain has more plasticity and is more open than usual to suggestions. The most exciting part of the treatment is the near total lack of side effects. Unlike the case when using antidepressants, there are no systemic side effects; no weight gain, no sedation, no nausea, no dry mouth, no adverse effects on concentration or memory, no hospitalization, and no anesthesia. Since TMS is administered directly to the spot on the brain requiring the pulse, and does not reach further into the body, the system is considered safe even for expectant or nursing mothers and can be used to treat postpartum depression. This is an advantage over antidepressant drugs which circulate throughout the body and can have numerous side effects, despite the benefits they offer once they arrive at their intended location in the brain. In clinical studies, more than half of the patients treated for symptoms of depression with TMS experienced significant improvement. About a third had complete relief of their symptoms at the end of six weeks. Patients undergoing TMS treatment also experienced a significant decrease in anxiety and physical symptoms like the appetite changes, aches and pains, and lack of energy associated with depression. The benefits of TMS can last anywhere from six months to two years or more. The patient can remain entirely drug free during that period and beyond. If symptoms return, a short booster session can be initiated to bring the depression back under control. Though not yet FDA approved for it, TMS Therapy can potentially help those suffering from, ADHD, migraines, stroke symptoms, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia, and there is ongoing research supporting the use of TMS for the above mentioned conditions. BIO Rockland TMS & Wellness Center is directed by Dr. Isaac Schechter, PSyD., and medical operations are directed by Dr. Richard L. Price, M.D. For more information please call 845-678-6070 or email us at [email protected]. You can also visit our website at www.rocklandtms.org.