Magnetic Treatment for Depression

At Butler Hospital, magnetic treatment for depression

“I can’t be sure, but I think that it was about the 25th treatment, maybe the 24th," said Bouchard. "One day I was walking out of Butler, walked down the steps, and all of a sudden I noticed the sun and the trees; they just looked beautiful — I had not felt like that for years.”

“It was a beautiful day for me and for my family. I felt like I was 'back' — in my right head, without the fear, the darkness and the self-loathing.”

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TMS uses a targeted pulsed magnetic field, similar to what is used in an MRI. While the patient is awake and alert, TMS stimulates the area of the brain — the prefrontal cortex — that is underactive or disconnected and re-establishes nerve pathways, which can ease depression and improve mood.