Depression

When the weight doesn’t lift, there’s another way.

Medication helps some people with depression. For others it doesn’t help enough, the side effects are hard to live with, or they’d simply rather not take it. When antidepressants and therapy haven’t worked, it’s often called treatment-resistant depression.

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What it can feel like

Everyone’s experience is different. These are some of the things people tell us.

Feeling hopeless or overwhelmingly sad
Guilt or feeling worthless
Going over past events or failures
Low self-esteem
Feeling alone
Mood swings or emotional outbursts
Deep tiredness, in body or mind
Trouble sleeping
Eating less and losing weight

Dr. Mark Liker, neurosurgeon and founder

What treatment looks like

Short sessions while you’re awake and comfortable. No anesthesia, no medication, and you drive yourself home.

Paying for it

Questions people ask

What makes TMS different from other depression treatments?

TMS is drug-free and non-invasive. We use your MRI and qEEG to plan where to stimulate, and navigation to reach that same point every session.

Will insurance approve me?

Most insurers ask that you’ve tried at least two antidepressants from two different drug classes. Our psychiatric provider will help you through their requirements, and approval usually takes 1 to 10 business days.

Can I keep taking my antidepressants?

Yes. We generally recommend staying on your current medication during TMS, and many of our patients do.

Will I be able to come off my antidepressants after TMS?

Many of our patients have lowered or stopped their medication after treatment. Always do this with a medical provider, whether ours or the one who prescribes for you.

Will my depression come back?

Some people notice symptoms returning after treatment. Touch-up sessions can help, and talk therapy alongside TMS can help relief last.

Is TMS like ECT?

No. ECT causes a brief seizure under anesthesia and can affect memory. TMS needs no anesthesia, you’re awake the whole time, and you can get back to your day right after.

Do you recommend ketamine or Spravato?

We don’t recommend medications as a way to fix the brain. Our focus is drug-free treatment guided by your own brain data.

What does a session look like?

Most sessions take up to about 30 minutes, including setup. We place a small tracker on your face and a coil on your head, and you’ll feel light tapping that people often compare to a woodpecker. You can get back to your day right after.

At BrainStim Centers we offer a different path. We treat major depression with TMS, guided by scans of your own brain. It’s non-invasive and drug-free, and it doesn’t come with the side effects of medication.

Your brain is unique, so your treatment should be too. There is hope.

How it feels

Feeling hopeless or overwhelmingly sad
Guilt or feeling worthless
Going over past events or failures
Low self-esteem
Feeling alone
Mood swings or emotional outbursts

In your body

Deep tiredness, in body or mind
Trouble sleeping
Eating less and losing weight
Eating more and gaining weight

Day to day

Everyday tasks feel hard to finish
Struggling at work or school
Losing interest in work, people or things you used to enjoy
Trouble concentrating or remembering
Wanting to use alcohol or drugs
Thoughts of suicide

How we treat depression

We map your brain

Alongside what you tell us, a brain MRI shows your brain’s structure and a qEEG records its electrical activity, so treatment is planned for you.

We find your target

Your imaging helps us locate the areas involved in regulating mood, and that point becomes the target for each session.

Gentle pulses do the work

Magnetic pulses wake up underactive areas of the brain, helping to lift mood, energy and focus.

Change that lasts

TMS doesn’t create dependency, and relief can last after treatment ends. If symptoms return, touch-up sessions can help.

Why people choose TMS here

Drug-free and non-invasive
Feeling happier and steadier
Less sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness
More energy
Better sleep
Clearer thinking, without medication side effects

Treatment plans

Standard TMS

36 sessions, once a day, Monday to Friday. About 30 minutes a day, over 6 to 8 weeks. Often covered for major depression, once your plan’s criteria are met. We check first.

Accelerated TMS

50 sessions, 10 a day, Monday to Friday. Short sessions of 10 to 15 minutes, ten times a day, for one week. Off-label and self-pay; not covered by insurance. Contact us for pricing.

Paying for treatment

Often covered for major depression; checked first, at no cost

Many insurance plans cover TMS for major depression when you meet their criteria. What you pay depends on your plan. We’ll check your benefits first, at no cost, before anything is booked. A benefits check isn’t a guarantee of payment, and we’ll tell you before you start about anything your plan may not cover, such as imaging or a brain map.

If you don’t qualify, or you choose accelerated treatment, you can pay directly. We offer payment plans. Financing may also be available through CareCredit, subject to credit approval and the lender’s terms.

The numbers

8 in 100 American adults had major depression in the past year, about 21 million people. (NIMH, 2021 national survey)
2 in 3 don’t experience relief on the first antidepressant they try. (STAR*D trial, 2,876 patients (Trivedi et al., 2006))
After that, 58 in 100 responded to TMS, and 37 were close to symptom-free by the end of treatment. (307 patients at 42 US clinics (Carpenter et al., 2012))

A patient’s story

Kat: Kat talks honestly about where she started with depression and anxiety, and where she ended up after TMS.

Dr. Liker explains: Using TMS to treat depression (scientific explanation from a neurosurgeon)