For Loved Ones

About Depression

WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

Depression has been described for millennia. The ancient Greeks called it melancholia because they believed it was due to an excess of black bile. Today, Major Depression is a serious medical illness affecting more than 14 million American adults every year. Major Depression results in a persistent state of sadness that may interfere with an individual’s thoughts, behavior, mood, and physical health. Symptoms may include:

  • Lack of interest in usual activities or an inability to experience pleasure
  • Difficulty thinking or concentrating.
  • Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, or guilt
  • Changes in sleep habits and decreased energy
  • Loss of appetite or significant weight gain or weight loss
  • Thoughts of death or suicide

While the exact cause of depression is not known, it is known that depression is characterized by an imbalance of the brain’s neurotransmitters, as well as decreased activity in the frontal lobes of the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that send signals between brain cells. Depression is most often treated with antidepressant medications. It is believed that antidepressant medications work by increasing the levels of these neurotransmitters. Although antidepressants can be effective for many patients, they do not work for everybody. Additionally, antidepressant medications circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body, and can result in unwanted side effects such as weight gain, decreased sex drive, nausea, sleepiness, and dry mouth. Millions of patients do not receive adequate benefit from antidepressants and/or cannot tolerate the side effects caused by them.
For these patients, NeuroStar TMS Therapy offers a new way back from depression and its treatment side effects. Learn more about TMS Therapy.

Also for those patients, Esketamine Therapy offers an alternate treatment option. Esketamine is added to their prescribed medication and administered here in the office. Learn more about Esketamine.

About OCD

WHAT IS OCD?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a long-lasting disorder in which a person experiences uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), engages in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), or both. People with OCD have time-consuming symptoms that can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life. However, treatment is available to help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

What are the signs and symptoms of OCD?
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People with OCD may have obsessions, compulsions, or both. Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that are intrusive, unwanted, and make most people anxious. Common obsessions include:

  • Fear of germs or contamination
  • Fear of forgetting, losing, or misplacing something
  • Fear of losing control over one’s behavior
  • Aggressive thoughts toward others or oneself
  • Unwanted, forbidden, or taboo thoughts involving sex, religion, or harm.
  • Desire to have things symmetrical or in perfect order.
  • Compulsions are repetitive behaviors a person feels the urge to do, often in response to an obsession.

Common compulsions include:

  • Excessive cleaning or handwashing
  • Ordering or arranging items in a particular, precise way
  • Repeatedly checking things, such as that the door is locked, or the oven is off
  • Compulsive counting
  • Praying or repeating words silently
  • Not all repeated thoughts are obsessions, and not all rituals or habits are compulsions.

However, people with OCD generally:

  • Can’t control their obsessions or compulsions, even when they know they’re excessive.
  • Spend more than 1 hour a day on their obsessions or compulsions.
  • Don’t get pleasure from their compulsions but may feel temporary relief from their anxiety.
  • Experience significant problems in daily life due to these thoughts or behaviors.

Some people with OCD also have a tic disorder involving repetitive movements or sounds. Motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements, such as eye blinking and other eye movements, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head or shoulder jerking. Vocal tics include things like repetitive throat-clearing, sniffing, or grunting sounds. It is common for people with OCD to also have a diagnosed mood disorder or anxiety disorder. OCD symptoms may begin anytime but usually start between late childhood and young adulthood. Most people with OCD are diagnosed as young adults. The symptoms of OCD may start slowly and can go away for a while or worsen as time passes. During times of stress, the symptoms often get worse. A person’s obsessions and compulsions also may change over time. People with OCD might avoid situations that trigger their symptoms or use drugs or alcohol to cope. Many adults with OCD recognize that their compulsive behaviors do not make sense. However, children may not realize that their behavior is out of the ordinary and often fear that something terrible will happen if they do not perform certain compulsive rituals. Parents or teachers typically recognize OCD symptoms in children. If you think you or your child may have OCD, talk to a health care provider. If left untreated, OCD symptoms can become severe and interfere with daily life.

How is OCD treated?

Treatment helps many people, even those with the most severe forms of OCD. Mental health professionals treat OCD with medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of treatments. A mental health professional can help you decide which treatment option is best for you and explain the benefits and risks of each. Following your treatment plan is important because psychotherapy and medication can take some time to work. Although there is no cure for OCD, treatments help people manage their symptoms, engage in day-to-day activities, and lead full, active lives.

Other treatments
In 2018, the FDA approved using a deep form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)—along with medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both—to treat people with severe OCD who did not respond to other treatments. In 2022, this approval was extended to standard TMS devices. Most commonly used to treat depression, rTMS is a noninvasive therapy that uses a magnet to deliver repeated low-intensity pulses to stimulate a particular part of the brain. Unlike most treatments, rTMS can target specific brain areas associated with OCD.

IS TMS RIGHT FOR MY LOVED ONE?

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TO SEE IF TMS MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOUR LOVED ONE

Is your loved one on more than 1 anti-depressant medication?
Is their current medication failing to provide adequate benefit for your depression?
Do the side effects from their medication outweigh the benefit?
Has depression increased their doctor visits for other healthcare conditions?
Is depression affecting their ability to make a living?
Is depression still have too much control over their life?
If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, TMS may be a treatment option to consider.

IS ESKETAMINE RIGHT FOR MY LOVED ONE?

People who are living with depression who have not responded well to other treatments may be candidates for Esketamine treatment. Esketamine treatment is for adults who have treatment-resistant depression. The drug may also be used to help adults who are having suicidal thoughts as a result of severe depressive disorder. It is important to note the patient may NOT drive themselves to and from their Esketamine treatments. Esketamine is delivered via a nasal spray administered in our office. The treatments occur twice per week for the first four weeks and then administered per doctors’ treatment plan established before treatments begin.

Insurance coverage:

TMS & Esketamine is covered by most insurances.