A Revolutionary Approach to Treat Depression
MeRT can be used if you suffer from depression or major depression. It is a non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive, and drug-free rTMS treatment. United States research has shown revolutionary results. People who suffer from depression, who have not responded well to medication, or who have difficulties with the side effects of depression.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression. It affects how you feel, think, and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes, you may feel as if life isn't worth living.
Everyone goes through a certain amount of ups and downs in their lives. Sometimes, losses or tragedies occur, and depression can set in. This is normal. However, if one doesn’t bounce back and depression persists or becomes severe, then one should seek help. Changes in sleep, appetite, energy level, concentration, daily behaviour, or self-esteem can often accompany depression. Additionally, depression can be associated with thoughts of suicide.
Depression, also referred to as Clinical Depression or Major Depressive Disorder, can have symptoms that range in type and severity for different people. While antidepressant medication can help some people, it doesn’t help everyone and isn’t always the right treatment for everybody. Medication can also have unpleasant side effects, both short-term and long-term, that are not tolerated well.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:
- Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
- Angry outbursts, irritability, or frustration, even over small matters
- Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as Physical and intimate interactions, hobbies, or sports
- Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much
- Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
- Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain
- Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
- Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
- Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
- Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches
- Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.
Depression symptoms in children and teens
Common signs and symptoms of depression in children and teenagers are similar to those of adults, but there can be some differences.
- In younger children, symptoms of depression may include sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry, aches and pains, refusing to go to school, or being underweight.
- In teens, symptoms may include sadness, irritability, feeling negative and worthless, anger, poor performance or poor attendance at school, feeling misunderstood and extremely sensitive, using recreational drugs or alcohol, eating or sleeping too much, self-harm, loss of interest in normal activities, and avoidance of social interaction.
Depression symptoms in older adults
Depression is not a normal part of growing older, and it should never be taken lightly. Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed and untreated in older adults, and they may feel reluctant to seek help. Symptoms of depression may be different or less obvious in older adults, such as:
- Memory difficulties or personality changes
- Physical aches or pain
- Fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems or loss of interest in sex — not caused by a medical condition or medication
- Often wanting to stay at home rather than go out to socialise or do new things
- Suicidal thinking or feelings, especially in older men
MeRT has been used successfully to treat Depression and MDD. The equipment used in the MeRT process is approved by the Australian Government Department of Health/Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for treatment of Depression and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Patients with depression have a few markers that are visible in their EEG studies — an imbalance in brainwave activity between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain, known as asymmetry.
New research is confirming that factors that may contribute to Depression do cause changes in brain function, including altered activity of certain neural circuits in the brain.
We work to identify these asymmetries and strengthen healthy brainwave activity to reduce the symptoms of depression for the patient.
We customised MeRT to each individual’s needs based on their diagnostics and imaging. The treatment protocol is tailored according to the location, frequency, duration, and amount of power the magnet uses. Specifically, this technology works by using magnetic waves to stimulate areas of the brain to improve communication, balance, and connectivity.
A quantitative EEG (qEEG) is performed on each patient in order to determine the exact frequency of the brain. Our clinician then evaluates these tests and tailor treatment to each patient’s unique condition, optimised for the best possible results.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts please reach out to Lifeline 13 11 14 or Veterans call Open Arms 1800 011 046 for 24 hours support.
Everyone experiences their world a little bit differently.
Dr. Erik Won, President & Chief Medical Officer at Wave Neuroscience
“EEGs (electrical pictures of the brain) can tell us when there are abnormalities in neural networks. … And we run that data through a normative database, and we can see, for example, if somebody has an area in the left prefrontal cortex that’s cycling at two Hertz — which means that they may be only processing information two times per second — whereas the rest of their brain may be cycling 11 times per second. That information mismatch may manifest for somebody who has depression. They may lack motivation, feel lethargic, not want to get out of bed.”
But in a different scenario… let’s say it is the visual cortex that’s cycling now at 30 times per second. If you’re scanning your environment 30 times per second but are only able to process it 10 or 11 times per second, this information overload may manifest as anxiety. And it’s not a one-to-one correlation. Everyone experiences their world a little bit differently.
We can look at these signals and find areas that are abnormal. We use this technology, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), to navigate to the area that’s not working properly and try to stimulate it and remind it that it wants to fire at a certain frequency and a certain rate.”
– Dr. Erik Won, President of Wave Neuroscience, from his appearance on the Broken Brain podcast
Psychiatric News Article: The Benefits of TMS in Treating Major Depressive Disorder
An article in the October 2022 issue of the Psychiatric News provides evidence that TMS (a key component of MeRT treatment) should be considered as first-line treatment for moderate-to-severe Major Depressive Disorder.
The article’s author, Richard A. Bermudes, reviewed a decade’s worth of studies on the effectiveness of TMS and wrote:
“As I read the APA guidelines recently and considered the number of new outcome studies conducted with TMS, I believe TMS should be considered in addition to pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder.”
Read the whole article on the Psychiatric News website.
Results may vary based on individual users, and there are no guarantees given.
