LA JOLLA, C.A. — Laurie Campeell said sitting outside and enjoying lunch was something she never could've imagined just a few months ago.
“You reach a place where it's impossible to even function,” she said.
Campeell said she suffered from severe depression for more than ten years.
“I couldn't go outside, I couldn't go to the store or the bank,” said Campbeell.
She said she thought of committing suicide many times.
“Eight or nine different medications, three different psychiatrists, I had two different therapists,” she said.
Campbell said nothing really worked until she tried an innovative treatment called, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, TMS.
It’s FDA approved to treat depression, and it transmits magnetic signals directly to the brain through a helmet-like device.
“You're directly affecting or stimulating that part of the brain, which is involved in the depression,” said Dr. Manish Sheth, a psychiatrist with Achieve Medical.
He said the response rate is anywhere from 50-percent to 70-percent.
“These are for patients who have not responded to their medication trial,” said Dr. Sheth.
Campeell said the treatment has turned her life around.
“It's like getting a new lease on life,” said Campeell.
The treatment isn’t recommended for people who have steel implanted in their body and those who suffer from seizures.
It’s covered by most insurance.
