SF health W
New Hope For Depression Sufferers TMS can help when medications fail By Donna Farris Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
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epression is the most common mental health disorder, and an estimated one in 10 adults suffers from it. The good news is that depression is readily treatable with a combination of medication and talk therapy. The bad news is, not everyone responds to medication or can tolerate the side effects. “Depression is a treatable brain disorder that’s as much a medical disorder as diabetes is, or any other chronic illness you can name,” said Dr. Matthew Stanley, psychiatrist with Avera Behavioral Health Center and Avera Medical Group University Psychiatry Associates. “Traditional therapies such as medication, psychotherapy and ECT have their place in the treatment of depression, but there is still a large number of patients we’re not able to provide a treatment for that’s acceptable or effective,” Dr. Stanley said. A new treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), promises to help more people experience relief from depression, without unwanted side effects such as weight gain, insomnia or loss of libido, which some people experience on antidepressants. The prefrontal cortex of the brain, thought to control mood, is known to be underactive in sufferers of depression. TMS uses highly focused magnetic pulses to stimulate that area and restore it to normal function, thus lifting depression symptoms. TMS is a treatment for people who have failed to find relief from at least one depression medication. The treatment, recently approved by the FDA, is a non-drug, non-invasive treatment. There’s no need for anesthesia or sedatives.
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SIOUX FALLS WOMAN • october/november 2012
TMS involves about an hour-long visit every day, Monday through Friday, for four to six weeks. The patient sits in a reclining chair, and the magnetic coil is placed against the patient’s head.