Almost 7 percent of the United States population had a major depressive episode last year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Symptoms of this common mental illness include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness or anxiety
- Feeling tired, having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Losing interest in hobbies and activities
- Eating more or less than usual
- Thoughts of death or suicide with or without suicide attempts
But many people who seek help for depression don’t respond to standard treatments such as medication and psychotherapy.
When that happens, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may be a good option. TMS therapy involves stimulating the cells deep within your brain that are responsible for your mood.
In this week’s podcast, psychiatrist David Hamilton, MD, explains more about how TMS works and how it fits in with other depression treatments.
Modern Psychiatry: How Much Do You Know?
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