Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Banner Behavioral Health Hospital is offering a treatment for clinical depression called transcranial magnetic stimulation, which provides patients with a noninvasive, same-day procedure for their mental condition.
The treatment uses magnetic fields to activate nerve cells in the brain. A behavioral technician places an electromagnetic coil on the patient's head to deliver repetitive magnetic pulses to a specific region of the brain. The pulses stimulate nerve cells linked to mood control and depression, ultimately improving depression symptoms.
The treatment does not require anesthesia and does not induce intentional seizure or loss of consciousness. It has little to no side effects and is an outpatient procedure.
"It is exciting to have another option to offer to our patients with treatment-resistant depression. [Transcranial magnetic stimulation] is safe and effective for usage as an outpatient is an option for those that have not responded to other treatments," said Gagandeep Singh, MD, CMO at Banner Behavioral Health Hospital.
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