My view on TMS – why I chose Brainsway deep TMS.

So, to go along with the article I quoted last week about TMS I thought it would be good to discuss here why I chose to have a Brainsway deep TMS device in my practice.

Most of you may not know that I have a master of science degree in Bioengineering from the University of Utah. This is in part why I am interested in the use of technology such as TMS for advancing psychiatric treatments.   TMS has been around since 1985 but is really still in its infancy in some ways.  There is still a lot of research centered on what it can be used for and the best ways to design the coils to give the best results for various diagnosis or symptoms.  Most of the research has centered on treatment resistant depression so far in the US which led to its FDA approval for this indication and other research involving specifically the Brainsway H7 deep TMS coil which led to the FDA approval for OCD.  TMS is appealing due to its lack of systemic side effects in comparison to other psychiatric treatments such as medication or ECT.

Of the companies that manufacture TMS devices, I eventually landed on Brainsway’s deep TMS device.  Brainsway’s device is referred to as deep TMS because the H1 coil design penetrates 1cm further than the standard generic figure 8 coil.  Thus, it generates a stronger magnetic field in the area of the brain at interest in depression.  Brainsway has incorporated its coil into a helmet which helps standardize the location of the treatment and allow for relatively more freedom of movement of the patient during treatment.  The Brainsway company is investing in research into many different coil types for other applications of TMS which will help bring this non-medication treatment to the forefront in many other mental illness treatments.  I feel Brainsway’s investment in research means it is invested not only in coming up with treatments for other symptoms/diagnosis but also into optimizing treatments it already has indications for.

In my 6 years of practicing psychiatry, I have seen there are definitely effective medications for most mental health diagnosis however not all of these medications are well tolerated by individuals.  Each individual has unique genetics which process medications differently and receive these medications into the body with varying sensitivities.  So, a non-medication approach to any of our diagnosis will be extremely helpful to those individuals unable to tolerate the needed medications and eventually in the future may even be the preferred first choice to minimize side effects.  With the effectiveness profile for treatment resistant depression of 50% reaching remission and 75% improving (>50% symptom reduction),Brainsway deep TMS is an amazing treatment that will bring relief to individuals who have been suffering immensely with a life altering illness and this will lead to brighter days for many of them!