Treating Depression with rTMS
Depression is a devastating mental illness, and sometimes depression treatments aren't as effective as we would like. However, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is changing the way doctors think about traditional depression treatments.
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Transcranial Magnetic StimulationTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was first used in 1985. It is based on the theory that the brain is an electromagnetic organ and that disorders such as depression are a direct result of a dysfunction in the brain's electromagnetic functioning.
rTMS for DepressionRepetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a procedure that creates a strong magnetic field around the left prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is the area associated with unusual behavior in depressed patients. The rTMS process is as follows:
- A magnetic paddle is placed on that cortex, and a current is run through a coil within the paddle.
- The rapidly alternating current produces a magnetic field that passes unimpeded through the brain.
- These repeated and rapid magnetic pulses gently stimulate the outer one-to-two-inch layer of the left frontal lobe of the brain.
- The electronic coil also jolts the nerve cells into functioning more regularly.
The rTMS procedure takes about twenty minutes and does not require hospitalization. When effective, rTMS alters a person's biochemistry as well as the levels of neurotransmitters that help control mood.
While rTMS is a relatively new therapy, the Food and Drug Administration has approved several rTMS devices.
The rTMS Process
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation depression treatment is a lengthy and expensive process that includes the following:
- daily treatment sessions for the first ten to twenty days, at a cost of $75 to $125 each
- maintenance treatments every three weeks.
Some patients choose to go through the primary therapy sessions and then take medication to avoid paying the high costs of maintenance treatments. Experts, however, frown on this approach and suggest that patients receive maintenance treatments.
Depression Treatments: rTMS vs. ECT
Another depression treatment that uses electricity is Electro-Convulsive Treatment (ECT). ECT is a specialized type of shock therapy that uses a jolt of electricity to induce a seizure while the patient is under the influence of an anesthetic. The cost of ECT can be high, as much as $1,000 per treatment, and people who undergo ECT often complain of memory loss.
Unlike ECT, rTMS has little to no side effects. The most common side effect of rTMS is headaches, though grand mal seizures have occurred on a few rare occasions. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation patients also don't undergo anesthesia, which can carry its own set of risks. Although rTMS is less expensive than ECT, it is still higher than low-cost medications that may end up being just as effective.
The absence of side effects might make rTMS an especially helpful treatment for depression, because the side effects from ECT and depression medications can be as bad as the depression itself. Thirty percent of depression sufferers don't respond to currently available antidepressants.
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