TMS therapy offers an effective, non-invasive, FDA-cleared alternative to traditional medications.
Clinical studies have shown that one in two patients treated with TMS had a 50% reduction in their symptoms, and after six weeks of treatment, one-third (33%) of patients had no symptoms of their depression or were in “remission”. While there has not been a head-to-head trial that compares TMS to antidepressants, a landmark study (called STAR*D) explored the efficacy of medication to treat patients suffering from MDD and less than 15% achieved “remission”.
It is also important to note that TMS treatment may not eliminate the need to continue taking antidepressant medication, but it could reduce the amount of medication needed by the patient and, thereby, minimize the side effects associated with them.
We use the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) as one of many metrics to chart a patient’s depression before, during, and after their TMS treatment. The PHQ-9 is a nine-question form that is simple to complete and helps the clinician track a patient’s progress. It is widely used to screen, diagnose, and track a patient’s severity of depression. A lower score indicates a patient’s lower level of depression.
As seen in the graph below, patients treated at Mindful Health Solutions have shown an almost 50% improvement on their PHQ-9 scores during and after their treatment.
