Family Living Institute (Dr. Syed Z. Ahsan)

hen traditional treatments such as antidepressant medication and outpatient therapy for major depressive disorder are not working, it is often referred to as “Treatment Resistant Depression.” This means that neither medication nor therapy has produced the desired outcome for the individual. Medications can fail due to a lack of response or an inability to tolerate side effects. The FDA has approved Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of depression in patients who have failed to respond to antidepressant medications in their current episode of depression. TMS is different from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). It utilizes magnetic pulses to excite areas in the central portion of the brain that are not functioning appropriately. TMS therapy increases the number of neurochemicals in areas of the brain that are commonly found in individuals without clinical depression. The treatment takes place over several weeks, with sessions lasting about 20 to 30 minutes. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatment is well tolerated, and individuals can drive themselves to and from appointments. Of patients in the last year who have received TMS treatment at the Family Living Institute (FLI), a practice specializing in psychotherapy in Williamsburg, VA, more than 85 percent have responded favorably.