WICHITA, Kansas -- We may all get the winter blues from time to time, but millions of Americans suffer from major depression, a chronic, sometimes debilitating condition.
While medication works for many, others are turning to a radically new option now available in Kansas.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, uses magnetic pulses to stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain, powerful chemicals that regulate mood, sleep, and appetite.
Roger Jolicoeur, 48, decided to try TMS therapy because he has battled depression since he was a teenager.
Anti-depressants seemed to work at first, but would lose their effectiveness, and Roger was losing hope.
"I was desperate enough as to where I had no fears about it whatsoever," said Jolicoeur. "I was ready for any new treatment that was available."
Prairie View is the only Kansas clinic to offer TMS, starting just five months ago.
Unlike electric convulsive therapy, TMS patients are conscious during treatment and do not have seizures.
Instead, they feel only a vibration, as magnetic pulses target a specific area of the brain off and on for 37 minutes.
"It feels a bit like someone's massaging your brain, which sounds pretty awful, but it's actually very comfortable," said Jolicoeur.
The daily sessions last six weeks.
"I will tell you that the patients that I have seen and have done the treatment, we see the most change from week four to week six," said Dr. Mercedes Perales, a psychiatrist at Prairie View.
Jolicoeur noticed a difference in two weeks.
"Right now, I feel much better than I've ever felt," he said. "Every day I get up and work almost all day long. I feel good, and my mind is clear."
He's also started exercising, not taking one minute for granted.
"This treatment's been very effective, but the future is a little unproven," said Jolicoeur. "How long will it last? How often will I need to go back?"
Doctors say Jolicoeur may need more TMS sessions after a year, but for the first time in a long time, he's enjoying life.
"If it fades tomorrow, it's still worthwhile," Jolicoeur said with a smile.
The most common side effect of TMS is a headache.
The treatment is not used on children or the elderly, and even though it's FDA approved, TMS is not covered by insurance.
