The Health series is presented by AdventHealth
Sometimes, mental health conditions, such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), resist traditional treatments. Medication and in-person therapy might only help to some degree.
Now, there is a promising new option offering relief for patients with depression, anxious depression, or OCD.
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment has been proven to offer significant results by directly stimulating deeper and broader areas of the brain, effectively treating conditions such as depression, anxious depression, late-life depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and smoking addiction.
Umang Shah, MD, MPH, a psychiatrist treating children, adolescents, and adults at AdventHealth Psychiatry and Wellbeing, shares how this new approach is helping Kansas City patients experiencing mental health issues.
What is TMS and how does it help patients with depression or OCD?
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that is performed on an outpatient basis. It is well-tolerated, effective, and FDA approved with no systemic side effects commonly associated with medications. It is associated with meaningful reduction in symptoms of depression and OCD, with significantly improved mental health and quality of life.
What is the TMS process?
After a thorough evaluation to qualify for the treatment, our dedicated team works on getting prior authorization from the patient’s insurance company. After the approval, the first session is brain mapping, to make sure the stimulation will be given to targeted areas of the brain, lasting for less than 30 minutes. After the initial mapping, the treatments last around 20 minutes. Because these treatments are non-invasive, the person is able to return to their normal routine immediately following treatment.
How does AdventHealth’s TMS treatment differ from that offered at other hospitals in the metro area?
In short, our treatment provides deeper stimulation, which is, therefore, more effective. Among various devices that have been approved by the FDA since 2008, at AdventHealth we use the BrainsWay Deep TMS device, in which magnetic coils are incorporated in helmets that are patient and operator friendly. This device provides a deeper and wider area of stimulation to the targeted brain regions, penetrating about five to six centimeters into the scalp compared to the standard two to three centimeters. Treatment involves sitting comfortably in a chair in the healthcare provider’s office for approximately 20 minutes, wearing a helmet containing a patented H-Coil.