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Magnetic Depression Treatment

December 22, 2008

For the 30 percent of clinically depressed people who don’t respond to medication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new, noninvasive treatment option. With NeuroStar TMS, a wand held over the head delivers highly focused magnetic pulses to a part of the brain that’s been linked to depression. A typical course of treatment would involve 40-minute sessions at a psychiatrist’s office five times a week for four to six weeks. In two clinical trials, roughly half of patients said that their symptoms were reduced by at least 50 percent.

Product: NeuroStar TMS Therapy system
Cost: Approximately $6,000 for a course of 20 to 30 sessions, depending on the provider
Source: www.neurostartms.com
Companies: Neuronetics

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