Children and teenagers are also substantially affected by depression. This is the story of Lindsay, who was only in grade school when she started to experience depression. She was treated at UCSD with deep TMS with excellent success. At baseline, she was social and happy. But as depression set in, she was less interested in school, withdrew from friends, and cried more. Such an experience is quite distressing and confusing to a child. Eventually, she had a hard time remembering what it was like to be happy. During her journey, she tried 18 different mediations for the next 6.5 years. She took SSRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), augmenting agents (e.g. Abilify, Wellbutrin, etc.), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). 12 sessions of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) were endured with little benefit. Lindsay had even tried ketamine. Her first attempt at TMS was with a figure of 8 coil (Neurostar) with no success. Other methods were attempted which included biofeedback, acupuncture, etc. There was a fear now, that she would be living the rest of her life in this deep depression. However, within a week of deep TMS, she felt more engaged and social. Her mood had started to lift and now she wants to share her story with you.
A touching story of a patient saved by deep TMS therapy
