New treatment options for people with depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
New treatment options for people with depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
In TMS, a magnetic coil is placed over the skull and stimulates the underlying brain tissue by magnetic impulses. The pulse series lead to a continuous stimulation of the brain tissue or regulation of brain overactivity. Treatment with TMS works by normalizing brain activity that came out of balance. Treatment with TMS can supplement or improve usual drug and psychotherapeutic treatments.
Previous studies have been conducted on patients for whom other therapies have failed. An earlier start of treatment is even more likely to have a promising effect. Hence, you don't have to be seriously ill to benefit from TMS.
The signs of improvement vary greatly. Many patients report more clarity in their mind, better control over "brooding thoughts", others report more activity or an improvement in appetite or sleep. Overall, most patients experience an improvement in individual symptoms or depression in total over the course of three to six weeks of treatment. In many cases TMS can improve bad mood, negative self-image, restlessness and the feeling of no longer being able to perform.
Many patients report that at the beginning the TMS-related muscle twitches on the head are somewhat disturbing. However, almost all patients tolerate TMS without any problems and permanent side effects or even changes in the brain substance are not to be feared. It is therefore a low-risk but effective procedure. We provide very detailed information about all possible side effects during the preliminary consultation in the clinic.
The statutory health insurance funds do not yet reimburse this treatment whereas most private insurances cover the costs. Though, it is advisable to clarify this with the insurer beforehand. We will be happy to support you with all the necessary documents.
The regular treatment session does normally not last longer than 15 minutes. Since the stimulation strength is individually adjusted, the first session takes about 45 minutes. Treatments are usually performed once a day from Monday to Friday. We start with a two-week treatment series but in many cases, the patients decide to continue the therapy to strengthen and stabilize treatment success.
There are several larger clinical, placebo-controlled studies that demonstrate the efficacy of TMS in depression treatment. Meta-analyses, which summarize the results of the existing clinical studies, conclude that the efficacy has been proven (Lefaucher et al. Clin Neurophys 2014; Brunoni et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2017; McCormick et al. J Clin Psych 2017). On this basis, the German therapy guidelines state that TMS can be used for the treatment of depression.
We are happy to provide further information by phone or e-mail.
We are happy to provide further information by phone or e-mail.
Prof. Dr. Surjo Soekadar
Medical director
Anne Wrana
Medical-technical
assistant
Dr. Med. Maria Buthut
Post-doctoral Researcher
Fernanda Santos
Research Associate