*MagVenture TMS Therapy is indicated for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adult patients who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication at or above the minimal effective dose and duration in the current episode.
Major depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 8% (21 million) of American adults each year. 15% of youth (3.7 million) ages 12-17 are affected by major depression.
The exact cause of depression is not known, but the leading scientific theory is that depression is caused by decreased activity in the neural networks of the brain that regulate mood and motivation. Within these neural networks, specific chemicals are released between neurons to communicate information. These chemicals are aptly named ‘neurotransmitters.’
Previously, inactivity within the mood networks of the brain was thought to be the result of a deficiency of these neurotransmitters. We are now learning that depression is much more complicated than merely being the result of a deficiency of one or more neurotransmitters. A person’s genetic make-up and life history may also determine a person’s tendency to become depressed.
Yes. The National Institute of Mental Health maintains that, “Depressive illness can often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have the disorder, but to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person.”
A national study of depression found that nearly all the respondents who reported a major depressive disorder also reported that their social and/or work lives were negatively affected by their illness (1). In 2000, the economic burden of depression was estimated at $83.1 billion in the US (2) and researchers estimate that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide (3). The economic burden of major depressive disorder among U.S. adults was an estimated $236 billion in 2018, an increase of more than 35% since 2010 (year 2020 values), according to research published in early May in the journal Pharmacoeconomics. The World Health Organization cites Depression as a leading cause of disability in the world.
Depression can also be a lethal disease. Each year in the US, over 30,000 people die by suicide, 60% of whom suffer from depression (4).
There is no known cure for depression, but with effective treatment many patients can remain symptom free.
Yes. Depression is known to be hereditary, so depression may occur in some people who have a particular genetic makeup that make them more likely to develop depression. However, the exact nature of these genetic characteristics is not known. Other factors may contribute to an individual’s likelihood of experiencing depression. Some of these risk factors include:
According to the standard diagnosis guide (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association, depression is diagnosed when an individual is experiencing either a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure plus four or more of the following depression symptoms during the same two-week period:
If you feel you are experiencing any of these depression symptoms, contact your doctor and speak with them about your depression treatment options.
Depression is most often treated with psychotherapy (talk-therapy) and antidepressant medications administered together. Although antidepressants can be effective for many patients, they do not work for everybody. Additionally, since antidepressants are typically taken by mouth, they circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body, often resulting in unwanted side effects.
More than 4 million patients do not receive adequate benefit from antidepressant medications and/or cannot tolerate the side effects caused by them. For these patients, alternative treatments are available which usually involve the use of a medical device. These treatments include: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation uses short pulses of magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the area of the brain thought to control mood. These pulsed magnetic fields may have a positive effect on the brain’s neurotransmitters levels. Treating depression with transcranial magnetic stimulation, also referred to as TMS Therapy, may provide an alternative depression treatment for those who have not benefitted from prior antidepressant medication.
TMS is the breakthrough technology for non-drug treatment of depression and promises to be the future of psychiatric treatment—providing hope for patients for whom medication treatment and psychotherapy have failed to achieve satisfactory results. At TMS of Knoxville, we have successfully treated many patients with treatment resistant depression
