What is depression
Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting millions of Australians ability to live a productive and happy life. The common symptoms of depression are sadness, lack of energy, lack of enjoyment, poor concentration, negative self-views, sleep disturbance, sexual dysfunction, feeling hopeless and thoughts of suicide.
Treatments for Depression
The main approaches for treating depression are usually psychological and behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications and brain stimulation treatments such as rTMS
Psychological and behavioral therapies
Seeing a counsellor or psychologist to help you identify and manage negative and maladaptive thoughts to improve depression. Regular exercise, healthy life style and good nutrition are also vital in treatment of depression. This can be very helpful for some patients, while others may also require medication.
1 in 3 people do not benefit from antidepressants.
Antidepressant medication
Antidepressant medications help alleviate symptoms of depression by increasing the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in your brain. Taking antidepressant medication can be very effective for some patients, while others may not find them beneficial. Some people may experience severe side effects and this may require consideration of other treatment options. When a person does not experience satisfactory improvement in depression with above treatment options, it has been referred to as treatment resistant depression.
rTMS
rTMS has been approved for treatment of Depression where psychological therapy and treatment with antidepressants have been unsatisfactory. rTMS is a safe and effective treatment for depression. Its effectiveness has been proven through a large number of research trials and outcomes from clinical centers.
The STAR*D study is one of the largest clinical trials of the effectiveness of psychological therapies and Antidepressants. (link to the study) The results of this study demonstrated roughly 1 in 3 people did not benefit despite psychological treatment and multiple trials of antidepressants.
TMS is an effective drug free treatment for depression that can be done through a clinic without requiring admission to a hospital. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation has been found effective for treatment of Depression where psychological therapy and treatment with antidepressants have been unsatisfactory.
There are some other treatments for depression such as Electroconvulsive Therapy which aren’t currently offered through TMS Specialists Clinics.
