A treatment that changes lives by providing lasting relief from depression.

FDA cleared

Non-invasive

Non-medicated

Safe and effective

We are listening

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression

Troubled by severe depression that cannot be managed with medication and other traditional therapies? Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS as we like to call it can be the lifeline you need. As a completely non-invasive procedure intended for improving the symptoms of major depression, TMS works by stimulating targeted areas of the brain. Cleared by the FDA as a safe and effective treatment option for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and its subtype, Anxious Depression—MDD with symptoms of severe anxiety or MDD with anxiety disorders as a comorbidity—TMS has been making lives better for millions of patients across the globe. Since the procedure itself is non-invasive, it is highly compatible with any other treatments the patient might be undergoing and can still produce the desired effect.

Keep fighting, there’s still a way out

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy treats major depressive disorder at its roots—the brain. Through repeated magnetic stimulations, TMS influences the electrical activity in the brain so that it can efficiently stabilize and manage your mood. For patients with treatment resistant depression, TMS has become a gamechanger as it significantly improves their quality of living through the lasting relief it can deliver. The ideal candidates for TMS include:

Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder
Patients with Treatment-resistant Depression (TRD)
Patients who are unable to tolerate the side effects of medication
Patients with health conditions that prevent them from taking medication
Patients with severe depression and anxiety and aren’t getting the results they want from traditional treatment

How does it work?

Conducted by a TMS specialist, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is an outpatient procedure that doesn’t require anesthesia or an overnight stay at the hospital.

The patient is seated on a comfortable chair with earplugs on. The magnetic coil is placed against the head after personalizing the settings.

Multiple magnetic impulses are delivered to the brain. During this time, there will be clicking sounds and also a tapping sensation beneath the magnetic coil.

The procedure may last 20-40 minutes. Sessions are delivered 5 days a week for a period of 4-6 weeks.

TMS has little to no side effects and discomfort, if any, usually only lasts for a few minutes after the procedure. The patient can resume regular activities immediately after each session.

Our Innovative Technology

The human brain contains millions and millions of neurons that control how you perceive the world around you. Even the slightest change in the brain’s activity can have significant effect on the patient. Through TMS therapy, we bring a positive effect on the patient’s quality of living through targeted brain stimulations.

For this purpose, RHS has made available the most advanced TMS machines to help our patients through their psychiatric and neurological problems. These devices are cleared by the FDA for treatment of patients who are struggling with MDD, OCD, anxious depression, and adolescent depression.

The Reliance Experience

Depression can be a really hard condition to manage and needs dedicated care with utmost compassion. At Reliance Health Systems, we understand how demanding this is in practice and provide advanced care to patients with major depression with the help of our highly experienced professionals in a way that can meet all their expectations. Operating in Richland, Washington, RHS is the first treatment centre in Eastern Washington to provide TMS therapy and we have been proudly serving the community for over 14 years now. We make the FDA cleared TMS therapy for MDD and Anxious Depression accessible for patients in the Tri-Cities area so that they can find the relief they need. Under the compassionate hands of our TMS specialists, we provide customized, highly effective TMS therapy and take a collaborative approach with therapy and medication, if required, to assist our patients in embracing the joys of life again.

For more information on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy for depression at RHS, contact us today.

FAQ

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment for major depression and other brain related conditions where repetitive magnetic pulses are used to influence targeted areas of the brain so as to improve symptoms.

Only patients 18 years and older can receive TMS for depression. However, Neurostar TMS for adolescent depression has been recently cleared by the FDA for treatment in adolescents aged 15 years and older.

TMS is an advanced procedure and as such, is generally not recommended as a first-line treatment for depression. Usually, a patient is referred once they are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression or if they are unable to take the medications that can relieve the symptoms

TMS has proven to be highly effective for depression and most patients respond positively to the treatment. For a vast majority, symptoms are significantly improved with TMS therapy and about one-third of the patients experience full remission.

Major depression is a serious mood disorder and as such, the recurrence rate is high. Patients should be aware that even if the symptoms are improved, it may not be permanent. However, real life studies show that patients will feel better for months after stopping the treatment, averaging at a little over a year.

Most insurance providers including Medicare cover TMS therapy. Your physician will help manage the prior authorization required for insurance coverage.

TMS therapy is a non-invasive and painless treatment procedure. The patients can engage in activities like watching TV or reading during the treatment.

TMS therapy has little to no side effects. At most, the patient will feel a mild discomfort in the scalp or feel a slight headache during treatment. Patients can resume their regular activities immediately afterward.

Typically, TMS therapy sessions are carried out over a period of 4-6 weeks, five times a week. The duration of the therapy will be decided by your physician depending on your condition.

The time required varies from patient to patient depending on a number of conditions including age, severity of the condition, and combination medicines used. But no matter the time, TMS therapy is proven to be effective in relieving the symptoms over the course of treatment.

Depression is a complex condition and each patient responds to treatment differently. For some patients, TMS may be effective enough that they can stop taking medication while in others TMS may improve the efficacy of their medication. Some patients may find TMS to be the only effective treatment. Whether to stay on medication or not, you need to discuss with your in detail.

TMS therapy is an FDA cleared treatment that is considered safe and effective with little to no side effects for most with over two decades of clinical and scientific data to support this assessment.

At RHS, we provide comprehensive care for our patients before, during, and after TMS therapy.

Before the treatment you will meet our TMS expert with whom you will go over your diagnosis and medical history in detail to see if you meet the strict criteria required for TMS therapy. Once we have confirmation that TMS is the right choice for you, our team will submit the insurance documents for Prior Authorization. After receiving the approval, we will do a TMS mapping to determine the location and dose of your treatment. Sessions will be held between Monday-Friday and patient will be interviewed before each appointment to ascertain their response to treatment. The treatment sessions are administered by a certified TMS provider or TMS technicians. You will also have regular meetings with your medication management provider to see if the treatment is working for you and make further adjustments if necessary. The treatment is tapered down over the last two weeks and after completion, there will be follow ups with the patient in 2 weeks to see if there are any major changes in mood. If we deem that further medication management, therapy, or TMS maintenance is required, we will discuss it with the patient moving forward.

TMS is covered by most commercial and state insurance plans. However, cost of treatment varies per your insurance policy. Please contact our billing department and your insurance company for more information about cost of treatment.

Although TMS is considered a safe treatment for most, there are some conditions which may prevent you from receiving the treatment. These include:

History of Seizure Disorder
History of Bipolar Disorder
History of metallic implants in the head/neck areas (except braces and other dental fillings)
Presence of implanted medical devices like pacemakers
Pregnancy

There are other relative, absolute contraindications and “inconveniences” during treatment that will be further discussed with your provider during your Brain Stim Consultation.