High Plains Mental Health Center has introduced a new treatment option for depression, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which is proving to be life-changing for some patients.
The treatment, approved for major depressive disorder, anxious depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, shows significant success in helping patients with treatment-resistant depression. According to Dr. Mark Romereim, medical director of High Plains, the TMS treatment has an 83% chance of improvement and a 62% chance of symptom relief.
In comparison, inhaled ketamine has a lower response rate of 67% and remission rate of 35%. The TMS unit is similar to a dental chair and uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate the brain and create new neural pathways. Treatment usually lasts about 19 minutes and can be done on an outpatient basis, with patients able to return to normal activities immediately after treatment.
High Plains is the first community mental health center in Kansas to offer TMS, and the center has seen consistent results. Eighteen people have completed treatment, and five more have ongoing therapy. The treatment has been shown to prevent hospitalizations and save lives by preventing suicide.
Medicare and most private insurance companies cover the treatment, but Medicaid does not. High Plains is lobbying the Kansas Legislature to get Medicaid to cover the cost of TMS. If successful, the center hopes to expand its services and provide more people with access to this life-changing treatment.
High Plains has invested $150,000 in purchasing a TMS unit and plans to purchase more units to serve more people. The center covers 20 counties in northwest Kansas and is accepting donations for future purchases of TMS machines.
Source: https://hayspost.com/posts/3bd21b2f-9f92-48fb-ae17-415f18bba81c