TMS sets its sight on treatment resistant depression

Download high resolution image [JPEG 8MB]

A donation from the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation has introduced a new option for people struggling with treatment resistant depression.

Based at the Acute Mental Health facility at Toowoomba Hospital, the Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment is currently available for outpatients through a psychiatrist referral and is a simple 30-minute procedure.

The Director of Neurostimulation at Darling Downs Health, Dr Henry Aghanwa welcomed the donation by the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation and said that the treatment would improve the outcomes for people with depression.

“We are very grateful to the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation for making this possible. We are excited to provide an alternative treatment to Electroconvulsive Therapy, to medication and to psychotherapy and already we have received positive feedback from people who have had the treatment.

“It’s a therapy that has been developed over the last 20 years internationally and we are one of only a few Hospital and Health Services to offer the service to the community.”

Darling Downs Health Executive Director Mental Health, Greg Neilson said the TMS treatment was another option in helping people manage depression.

“There are several treatments we offer to people who have depression such as psychotherapy and medication, but in instances where these treatments aren’t having the desired outcome in managing depression, we now have this new intervention that will assist those more complex instances.

“We have a very skilled and capable team at the Acute Mental Health facility in Toowoomba and I’m confident that this new service will lead to better outcomes for patients, their families and friends but also the community.”

Greg Neilson, Executive Director Mental Health

Toowoomba Hospital Foundation CEO, Alison Kennedy said that it was important that the community support the Hospital and Health Service to help deliver care for those in need.

“It’s so important that people support the foundation to help deliver new services and equipment to the hospital.

“The purchase of this machine was only made possible through generous donations from the community, and it is going to make a positive impact on the people that utilise it.”