Leave Depression Behind

An effective treatment for depression that is quick, well tolerated and non-invasive.

If you’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and one or more antidepressant medications have not worked for you, Duluth TMS can help you achieve wellbeing.

With each therapy session lasting approximately 20 minutes, the treatment can fit easily into your schedule. The treatment has minimal side effects, and is covered by Medicare and most private payers.

How effective is BrainsWay D? In real-life clinical settings, the treatment was proven to be effective for 3 out of 4 patients, with a 51% remission rate and 75% response rate.

I have already tried other medications and had poor results- will BrainsWay D be any better? Studies have shown the treatment to be effective for patients with depression, no matter how many other medications were tried in the current depressive episode.

How does the treatment work? The treatment integrates seamlessly into your routine. During each session, you are comfortably seated on a chair and a cushioned helmet is placed over your head. The helmet uses magnetic fields to stimulate the targeted brain area and improve depressive symptoms. The procedure requires daily sessions of 30 minutes for 4-6 weeks. As the treatment does not require hospitalization or anesthesia, and entails no memory loss and systemic side effects, you can return to your normal routine after each session.

Does the treatment entail any discomfort? BrainsWay D is a non-invasive procedure, which eliminates the need for hospitalization. Patients may experience minor side effects such as headaches or minor pain at the site of treatment. However, this is usually brief and ceases after the first few sessions.

Staying On the Forefront of Mental Health- Our New OCD Helmet.

An effective treatment for OCD that is quick, personalized and well-tolerated.

If you’ve been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and are currently being treated with medication or psychotherapy, Duluth TMS may offer an additional treatment option to help you achieve wellbeing.

With each therapy session lasting approximately 18 minutes, the treatment can fit easily into your schedule. The treatment has minimal side effects, and is personalized for your specific OCD symptoms.

How effective is BrainsWay OCD? In a large multicenter study, 38% of patients achieved a substantial 30% reduction in symptoms. 55% of patients achieved over 20% reduction in symptoms.

I have already tried other medications and had poor results-will BrainsWay OCD be any better? Studies have shown the treatment to be effective for patients with OCD who have failed to respond to or could not tolerate medication. Patients in the BrainsWay OCD clinical study were maintained on existing medication and psychotherapy, but many had not experienced relief until TMS treatment was provided.

Has BrainsWay OCD been tested? BrainsWay OCD uses Deep TMS technology, which has been tested in over 60 clinical studies for various indications in leading institutions worldwide. The FDA has cleared this technology for clinical use in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and it is currently available in the US, Europe, and South America.

How does the treatment work? The treatment integrates seamlessly into your routine. Prior to TMS, your physician will design a personalized protocol based on your specific OCD symptoms. During each session, you will be comfortably seated on a chair with a cushioned,air-cooled helmet placed over the head. The helmet uses magnetic fields to stimulate the targeted brain region and improve OCD symptoms. The rpocedure requires daily sessions of 18 minutes for 6 weeks. As the treatment is done in an outpatient setting with no anesthesia, and entails no systemic side effects, you can return to your normal routine after each session.

Does the treatment entail any discomfort? BrainsWay OCD is a non-invasive, outpatient procedure. Patients may experience headaches or minor pain at the site of treatment. However, these side effects are typically brief and cease after the first few sessions. Dr. Johnson will tailor the treatment parameters to minimize any discomfort.

Introduction

Hello and welcome to Duluth TMS’ website. I am Eric A. Johnson,  MD a psychiatrist with 25 years of experience and I moved to Duluth last year. I have a tele-psychiatry practice that serves a couple of communities in different parts Minnesota and I am excited to offer transcranial magnetic stimulation here in Duluth. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is an innovative and powerful new tool available for the treatment of major depression, and OCD, and it is FDA approved to help people who don’t respond to medications.

Studies are under way in addictions, insomnia, posttraumatic stress disorder, smoking cessation and results thus far are promising. And I hope that I will be able to provide this service for these additional indications as they are approved by the FDA.

I am working with TMS Machine manufacturer BrainSway, and they provide machines capable of deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Deep TMS allows for shorter appointments than other TMS machines, and TMS is as effective as ECT, without anesthesia, confusion, or memory loss. TMS is usually well tolerated with a transient headache being the most common side effect.

When you tell us you may be interested in dTMS treatment, we will first gather information about you, your depression and your treatment history.  If we determine that dTMS may be a fit for you, you will be scheduled with me for a calibration appointment where we will set the proper power for the magnetic pulses. The treatments will be administered by one of our TMS technicians and I will be on-site for supervision. The treatment course is 20 minutes of treatment per day, five days per week for up to six weeks. Treatments are best done around the same time every day.  There is a high response rate, even among people who have not previously responded to medications.

I hope this answers any questions that you might have. Please contact us if you would like additional information.  

If you are ready to find out whether deep transcranial magnetic stimulation is for you,  call us to schedule a free screening appointment with one of our technicians.