By Richard A. Bermudes, MD
President, Clinical TMS Society
Medical Director, Mindful Health Solutions
As Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy gains attention as an effective alternative treatment for drug-resistant depression, it’s important to offer courses to physicians and healthcare providers from around the country on the treatment process and benefits of TMS therapy to their patients.
TMS therapy is a drug-free, non-invasive treatment administered in a physician’s office. By using an MRI-strength magnetic field to stimulate the frontal cortex area of the brain, the core symptoms of major depression can be painlessly alleviated. Unlike anti-depressants or Electroconvulsive Therapy, patients undergoing TMS therapy experience minimal side effects. Clinical studies have shown that TMS therapy is effective in about 60 percent of patients, twice as effective as antidepressants.
Click here to learn more about TMS for Depression.
This week the 4th Annual Clinical TMS Society Educational Conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, providing hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits featuring courses on the expanding evidence base on TMS for the treatment of a number of neuropsychiatric conditions.
I’m especially excited about our two industry- leading keynote speakers – Professor Anthony Barker and Dr. Sarah Liisanby.
- Professor Barker led the group that invented the technique of TMS therapy and has specialized in a number of research areas during his National Health Service (NHS) career, including the effects of electromagnetic fields on the body, electrical stimulation of nerves, Functional Electrical Stimulation and medical device development.
- Dr. Liisanby, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) division of Translational Research, is one of the leading researchers in the area of neuromodulatory interventions for treating major depression. She serves as a principal investigator on studies that range from basic research through clinical trials.
This year’s meeting of the Clinical TMS Society includes TMS providers with extensive clinical and research experience from across the United States and the world, allowing attendees to find new ways of optimizing the administration of TMS and learn about novel indications for this therapy as well as the incredible results.
