rTMS for depression - Northamptonshire

[circumbendibus]

Could I just add this note for some who are suffering from depression.

I can't get the link to copy & paste - but it's in the News Section of www.nht.nhs.uk/main.cfm

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News: Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer revolutionary new treatment to help those suffering with depression
Berrywood Hospital, part of Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is one of the first sites across the NHS to offer Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment option for people with resistant depression.

rTMS is a non-invasive method of brain stimulation. It works though electromagnetic induction; using a strong magnet which is placed over the scalp, targeted on an area of the brain associated with mood regulation. The coil generates brief magnetic pulses, which pass painlessly into the brain, similar to an MRI machine. It works by stimulating the nerve cells in the brain. When the pulses are administered in rapid succession the treatment is referred to as ‘repetitive TMS’ or ‘rTMS’ and can produce long lasting changes in brain activity.

Medical Director, Dr Alex O’Neill Kerr says ‘We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to offer this treatment to our patients. It is a treatment for adult patients with severe clinical depression who have found antidepressants have failed repeatedly to control their symptoms.

‘We are the only NHS trust to offer rTMS on a clinical basis and not part of a research trial which allows us to tailor the treatment to individual patients. This new treatment offers a choice to patients not previously available on the NHS and has the potential to ease the suffering of people with resistant depression.

‘It is a fantastic example of new technology making a real difference to patients’ lives and we are looking forward to seeing positive results from this ground breaking technology’

Patients need to have been properly diagnosed and assessed by a psychiatrist before they are referred for treatment. A course of treatment usually consists of four sessions per week over 4 to 5 weeks. Each session lasts between 30 and 40 minutes, with benefits often noticed from the first week.