*Somita Pal * January 19, 2011 Two years after the US Food and Drugs Administration approved repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) as the latest technique to treat depression, the device has arrived in the city.
According to experts, rTMS has been used successfully to treat disorders such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia. Dr Anjali Chabbria, a psychiatrist, said, “TMS stimulates the brain using magnets, which redirect the brain’s magnetic field to reduce depression and symptoms of other illnesses such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s Disease.” Chabbria has installed the machine at her clinic in Juhu. Neuropsychiatrists at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore have also begun using TMS for patients with depression as a substitute for antidepressants, which often do not work in major cases of depression, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which can sometimes cause severe side effects. Unlike antidepressants or ECT, TMS has few side effects besides headache and minor discomfort at the treatment site. “It is has been successfully used in Delhi. TMS can be helpful in postpartum cases as drugs for depression are normally avoided during this period. The first patient to be treated in Mumbai is an engineer who is suffering from auditory hallucination,” Chabbria said. “One among every four people visiting a general physician suffers from depression. Women are more prone to the condition than men.” http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_magnetic-simulation-to-treat-depression-debuts-in-mumbai_1496345-all -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
