Dr. Robert D. McMullen is a psychiatrist who specializes in TMS brain care. This type of depression therapy is offered in many locations, but Brain Care has helped cure an average of fifty percent of their patients.
With over 36 years of experience, Dr. McMullen and his staff are dedicated to creating a comfortable and healing environment for each new patient. In his latest video, various depression related topics are discussed including: how effective is depression treatment, depression self-treatment techniques, how to cure depression permanently, and his preferred Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy.
How Effective is Depression Treatment?
While McMullen agrees that anti-depressant medicines work extremely well, he argues that such treatment is slow and never one hundred percent effective. Dr. McMullen references the famous Star*D study where about 65 percent of patients being treated by anti-depressants had alleviated their symptoms after six months (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/funding/clinical-research/practical/stard/allmedicationlevels.shtml). He points out the argument that at least 30 percent of patients were not helped by such aggressive anti-depressant treatment, and it’s impossible to know if those that were cured would have been cured without the medicine. For these reasons, looking at statistics alone cannot answer the burning question: how effective is depression treatment?
Unfortunately, if the first anti-depression medicine that you try is not effective, then the effectiveness of each subsequent medication that you try will likely only continue to decrease. Even if a stronger dosage is prescribed and some symptoms subside, it is still very unlikely that the medicine can completely cure the depression.
Depression Self Treatment
Dr. McMullen recommends combining various depression self-treatment fighting strategies to help reverse your depression. He mentions adding certain nutrients to your diets such as fish oil, folic acid, and lemon. Vigorous exercise for an hour or two a day is extremely beneficial for your overall physical and mental well-being. It is recommended that you put in the significant effort on improving yourself and your social connections. Make new contacts, build up a better network of friends, and put energy into pushing your career forward. Build new interests and educate yourself on new captivating topics.
Though these self-treatment measures are encouraged, it would be a momentous achievement to cure depression using these methods alone. If we had the self-motivation and ability to push forward these life changes before, then it’s likely we would have already been doing these things. Additionally, even when life’s circumstances are ‘perfect,’ there is no guarantee that the depression will go into full remission.
How to Cure Depression Permanently
Depression that comes and goes is much easier to conquer than persistent, chronic depression. Dr. McMullen compares depression to chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes because it does not always go away with treatment in contrast to issues like infection or pneumonia. It is extremely challenging to determine how to cure depression permanently, and it is nearly impossible to do without consistent treatment and effort. Even when certain patients have everything they have ever desired, many still struggle with depression if they begin to slack off on their depression medication, self-treatment methods, or therapy sessions.
TMS
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a procedure that involves using magnetic pulses to stimulate certain areas of the brain. This FDA approved treatment is beneficial for individuals suffering from the major depressive disorder. The treatment involves giving a dose of a magnetic field to the brain that alters brain activity for about 45 minutes after the initial treatment. The depression begins to lift incrementally with treatments. The accepted theory is that the dosage is allowing the brain to cure itself. It serves as an enabling device that turns “on” the repair switch or triggers the brain into healing mode. The remarkable and somewhat permanent effect on the brain provides a great deal of hope for chronically depressed individuals.
The main difference between medication regiments and this innovative type of treatment is the likelihood of returning to your normal, non-depressed state. Dr. McMullen explains that with thirty successful treatments about thirty percent of patients will be completely healed of their depression. Because many people only consider this type of therapy after several failed anti-depression medicine routines, this statistic is very encouraging.
Another difference between medicine and this therapy is a number of side effects. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is quick, comfortable and has zero side effects (https://tmsbraincare.com/what-is-tms/). The chance of relapsing into depression is lower than when using traditional medicines or other shock treatment therapies.
If relapse does occur, then patients often fully recover with only a few transcranial magnetic stimulation treatments. Dr. McMullen states that almost never does a relapsed patient need the full thirty-day treatment to fully recover.
Brain Care
If this type of treatment sounds beneficial to you, then call to inquire about appointments at (212) 362-9635. Dr. McMullen’s website contains several videos, articles and other helpful tools to help assist you on your journey to recovery.
