Introducing BrainsWay Late-Life Depression Treatment
A revolutionary treatment in mental healthcare, Deep TMS™ has uniquely positioned itself in the treatment landscape with FDA-clearance allowing for the treatment of late-life depression. Utilizing BrainsWay’s patented H-Coil technology, Deep TMS offers a distinctive approach by generating a magnetic field capable of penetrating deeper and broader brain regions. This ability to reach and stimulate critical brain structures can address some of the unique challenges faced by elderly patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
BrainsWay’s H-Coil design can be particularly beneficial for elderly patients, where age-related increases in scalp-cortical distance can benefit from the deeper electric field generated by BrainsWay’s technology.
Repeated peer-reviewed studies have validated the efficacy of Deep TMS treatment for elderly patients. The potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes can lead to remarkable enhancement in the quality of life for those battling depression.
As a noninvasive procedure, Deep TMS is well-tolerated, has a favorable safety profile, and does not produce systemic side effects. Its convenient 20-minute sessions do not involve any significant recovery period, generally allowing for seamless integration into patients’ daily routines
About Late Life Depression
Late-life depression, particularly Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a significant and growing concern as the global elderly population expands. MDD in the elderly often goes underdiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms with dementia, such as poor attention and concentration, complicating the diagnostic process and treatment. This demographic shift, with the elderly population expected to double to approximately 2 billion globally by 2050, underscores the urgent need for effective, tailored treatment strategies.
Studies indicate that up to 15% of community-dwelling elderly individuals experience depressive symptoms, with even higher rates in residential care settings. The prevalence of MDD in the elderly ranges from 1% to 5% in the community and rises to 13.5% among those requiring home healthcare. This high prevalence highlights the necessity for heightened awareness, improved diagnostic accuracy, and better therapeutic approaches to manage depression in this vulnerable and growing segment of the population.
Efficacy
Open-label, naturalistic data assessed Deep TMS’s safety and efficacy in late-life depression in 247 patients aged 60-91 receiving 20 or more sessions. These patients had an average history of 8.5 depressive episodes and were on average taking 12 concomitant antidepressant medications.
Results showed that after 30 sessions, there was a response rate of 79.4% and a remission rate of 60.3% on the most-rated scale. The median onset of response was 14 sessions (20 days), and for remission, it was 15 sessions (23 days).
Try TMS – A Proven Alternative Treatment for Depression
The 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a diagnostic tool introduced in 2001 to screen adult patients in a primary care setting for the presence and severity of depression. It rates depression based on the self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). The PHQ is part of Pfizer’s larger suite of trademarked products, called the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD). The PHQ-9 takes less than 3 minutes to complete and simply scores each of the 9 DSM-IV criteria for depression based on the mood module from the original PRIME-MD. Primary care providers frequently use the PHQ-9 to screen for depression in patients.
