The Trinitas-St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Network announced it is now offering a new treatment for depression, the network announced Wednesday.
Trinitas-St. Joe’s will use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a treatment option for individuals suffering from depression who have not benefited from initial antidepressant medication therapies.
Dr. Carlos Rueda, chairman of psychiatry for the Trinitas-St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Network, said TMS is a proven option with impressive efficacy rates and research results, despite being a newer treatment for depression.
“TMS is indicated for the treatment of adults with major depression who have not responded to at least one antidepressant,” Rueda said in a statement. “We are excited to bring this therapy option to the residents of New Jersey, offering new hope for a complex condition.”
Trinitas-St. Joseph’s is partnering with HPR Treatment Centers, a division of TMS Centers of America, to open two treatment facilities in Essex County by June 2018, followed by another six sites throughout northern New Jersey over the next year, according to Ben Klein, founder and CEO of HPR Treatment Centers.
“This partnership allows us to work with two of the leading medical institutions in the state to provide a comprehensive continuum of care to treat those suffering from depression,” Klein said. “We have been offering TMS to patients across the country and know firsthand the significant impact the treatment has on patients.
“We have seen people with depression who have lost hope regain it back when they achieve remission through TMS.”
According to Trinitas-St. Joe’s officials, half of the 15 million Americans with depression cannot tolerate or do not respond to antidepressant medication.
The FDA-cleared BrainsWay Deep TMS is a non-invasive treatment that stimulates the brain using magnetic fields at an amplitude similar to what is used for an MRI. The treatment has no systemic side effects and requires no hospitalization or anesthesia. To date, the therapy has been proven effective in over 60 clinical trials worldwide.
“Depression is believed to be caused by electrical dysfunction of one region of the brain, known as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,” Rueda said. “Through a highly focused and targeted magnetic stimulation, we’re able to boost the function of the brain in this region, allowing for a remission of the depression.”
Because TMS is a non-drug, non-invasive treatment, patients are awake during the procedure and can get back to daily activities, including driving, immediately following the session, Rueda said.
Joe Perekupka, vice president at BrainsWay, said the partnership makes sense.
“We are excited to work with HPR Treatment Centers to help Trinitas and St. Joseph’s deliver optimal mental health solutions to their patients and partner with them in this initiative that will address a growing challenge in treating mental health patients,” he said.
“We are fortunate to partner with HPR Treatment Centers, as they have demonstrated true leadership in increasing access to Deep TMS for patients across the country. By providing the tools necessary to help these renowned facilities treat patients who are suffering from mental disorders, we are enabling better outcomes for patients.”
