TMS THERAPY
FDA-cleared, non-medication depression treatment
Daniel Hageman
Major depression affects 10%-15% of the population per year and, according to a STAR*D study, only 27.5% of patients with depression respond to antidepressant therapy. Of those who do not respond, an alarming 67.1% of patients failed to achieve remission in first-stage treatment, and an estimated 33% still didn’t achieve remission after 4 stages of treatment[1]. Patients are then diagnosed with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD).
Major depression affects 10%-15% of the population per year and, according to a STAR*D study, only 27.5% of patients with depression respond to antidepressant therapy. Of those who do not respond, an alarming 67.1% of patients failed to achieve remission in first-stage treatment, and an estimated 33% still didn’t achieve remission after 4 stages of treatment[1]. Patients are then diagnosed with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD)
The name indicates a type of depression that has not responded to treatment; however, this definition is still very unclear. According to the Mayo Clinic, “taking an antidepressant or going to psychological counseling (psychotherapy) eases depression symptoms for most people. But with treatment-resistant depression, standard treatments aren’t enough.”[2]
Treatment Resistant Depression can be diagnosed when a patient has already tried psychological counseling and has tried taking antidepressants, but exactly how much therapy or how many drugs need to fail before one is considered to be suffering from TRD?
There is still no consensus on the general suitable definition of Treatment Resistant Depression and researchers and medical professionals alike will differ on the number and types of failed treatments that correspond to TRD. In general, when a patient has undergone adequate treatment and has had either no response or inadequate response to this treatment it is then said to be treatment resistant.
Several authors and researchers have given Treatment Resistant Depression a more detailed interpretation[3]:
Treatment Resistant Depression is not the end of the road for patients diagnosed with the condition; there are treatment options available to them that can do what medication alone couldn’t – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is one of them. TMS Therapy is cleared by the FDA for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from one prior antidepressant medication at or above the minimal effective dose and duration in the current episode[4]. It is a non-invasive non-drug treatment consisting of highly focused magnetic pulses that stimulate the part of the brain that controls moods. This specific area of the brain has been identified as under active in people who suffer from depression. TMS Therapy causes neurons to become active, leading to the release of neurotransmitters, to relieve the symptoms of depression.
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