Hello everyone!
We have been in Victoria since 2007 meeting your psychiatric care needs using mostly pharmacotherapy in combination with psychotherapy when appropriate. We are currently working on bringing you another treatment option for depression that is not based on medication or psychotherapy. This is a safe alternative to medications, having none of the medication side effects such as weight gain or sexual dysfunction, and being used (after becoming FDA-approved) in the United States since October 2008.
This treatment option is called (repetitive) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS for short) and it uses magnetic fields to stimulate (repeatedly) a certain area of the brain. It is an outpatient procedure that does not require any anesthesia, takes about 37 minutes a day, and patients can go back to work right away. A course of treatment usually requires 20-30 sessions and some patients are able to see results within the 2nd week.
Not everyone will be a candidate for TMS, as one must have not responded to at least one trial of an antidepressant medication. There are also some contraindication for TMS, as one should not have any metallic plates or clips in the brain.
We plan to provide the TMS therapy through the opening of Victoria TMS Center towards the end of March 2010. Please, stay tuned for more updates.
Thank you.
Dr. Bouras
Medical Director
Victoria TMS Center
