TMS THERAPY
FDA-cleared, non-medication depression treatment
Teenage rates of depression are appalling; according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) about 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. If we take the 2008 census, roughly over 2 million teens are currently experiencing depression symptoms.
Teenage rates of depression are appalling; according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) about 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. If we take the 2008 census, roughly over 2 million teens are currently experiencing depression symptoms.
Antidepressants are frequently the first line of treatment for mental health issues. Since 1988, antidepressant use in the United States has soared nearly 400%[1], with 1 in 25 adolescents taking antidepressants[2]. These numbers emphasize an alarming warning; potential side effects are raising concerns of a correlation between antidepressants and teen suicide.
Whether it is medication, therapy or a mix of both, there are new treatment options being researched that are helping patients and doctors make better individual treatment decisions. One of these groundbreaking new treatment options is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS therapy.
TMS therapy helping depressed youth
A new study by the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada has concluded that teens with treatment-resistant depression are benefiting from transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy. A total of 11 patients aged 15 to 21 who were diagnosed as treatment resistant participated in this study, with 7 patients responding to rTMS treatments. Patients saw a 62% decrease in HAM-D scores and a 30% decrease in Children’s Depression Rating Scale scores.
These results are at par with those achieved by an open pilot study done in 2011 by the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at the Mayo Clinic who suggested that “rTMS is a safe, feasible, and potentially effective adjunctive therapy for treatment-resistant MDD in adolescents” after seven of eight of the participants’ symptoms improved after treatment[3].
Benefits of TMS therapy
TMS therapy uses highly focused magnetic pulses to stimulate the areas of the brain known to control mood. This specific area of the brain has been identified as underactive in people who suffer from depression. TMS Therapy causes neurons to become active and stimulate or “kick start” the brains activity.
Each treatment involves the gentle placement of a small magnetic arm against the patient’s head. The treatment is completely non-invasive; patients remain awake and alert throughout the entire treatment. Patients are able to resume everyday activities immediately following the treatment session.
Because of the many risks involved with treating a child or teenager with strong antidepressants, it is important for parents to know that there are other options out there. After conclusion of the study, Miss Pradhan affirmed that “any instrument, has its own adverse effects, but still, it’s very good that we have a choice…. We can use medications, which also have a lot of adverse effects…. Perhaps the use [of rTMS] is much more than the damage.”
For more information or to find out if you or your loved one are candidates for TMS therapy, please contact us at 1.855.333.4867 or by clicking here.
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