Breakthrough Depression Treatment

Breakthrough Depression Treatment

Millions of people living with major depressive disorder know how challenging it can be to find the right treatment plan. But now a new FDA cleared option called Accelerated Deep TMS or Swift is changing the landscape and transforming access to mental health care. So joining us now to discuss is the chief medical officer at Brainsway, Dr. Richard Bermudas. So thank you so much for joining us and why is there such an urgent need for faster, more accessible depression treatments right now? >> Thank you. It’s great to be with you. Um, well, a lot of us are suffering from depression and a lot of us know people who are suffering depre from depression. Nationwide, 14 million suffer from depression. So, it affects us all and it affects us in different ways, different aspects of our lives. So, there’s a big need for new treatments uh that work quickly. Um, and that’s what the swift protocol is about. >> Makes sense calling it swift then, right? um for people hearing about it for the first time, what exactly is Swift and how does the accelerated deep TMS approach work? >> Yeah, deep TMS is kind of intimidating technical, but Swift’s simply is a targeted magnetic field uh where we can target the actual brain areas that are responsible for depression. And the protocol is quick and easy. In just six days, we’re seeing phenomenal results where nine out of 10 patients get a response. That’s a 50% improvement and eight out of 10 are actually obtaining remission. So, we’re really excited. We’re we’re actually we’re phenomenally surprised by the results of this trial which uh got cleared by the FDA in September of this year. >> That’s amazing. 80% I mean that’s that sounds awesome. I mean the fact that well let’s talk about it then right so how does the effectiveness compare to traditional treatment options then >> so traditional treatment options say talk therapy or anti-depressant medications they’re effective but they take a long time 6 to 12 weeks in many cases and some patients have to try many different types of anti-depressant medications before they obtain remission only about a third of patients have sustained remission. 30 to 40% have sustained remission from conventional treatments. So this swift approach is really phenomenal. Again, eight out of 10 patients obtain remission in just three weeks with just six days of treatment. >> Wow, that’s amazing. Um, every patient’s experience obviously is going to be a little bit different. So, is this treatment adaptable to patients individual needs? >> Yeah. Yeah, the different subtypes uh of depression are out there and I’ve had patients just get phenomenal results. In fact, in one or two days, I’m seeing results in my own clinics where people’s, you know, brain fog has lifted or their anxiety and depression have gone down. So, uh patients tell me, you know, uh the music sounds differently. Um you know, I’m more engaged at home. I’m more productive at work. I’m making decisions differently. So again, we’re really excited and it’s very adaptable and personalized to each individual patient. >> Well, I I think it’s really really awesome because I do have some friends um and even some family members who have taken uh medications before and like you said, it either takes too long and they decide ah it’s not working or it just doesn’t work for them in in general. So I think this is really fascinating. Where can we go for more information or to find out, you know, where we can get this done? the Brainsway website uh brainsway.com and we have a find a provider button uh where people can find uh their closest Brainsway outpatient clinic. >> Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for joining us today and telling us all about it. Really important stuff. >> Thank you. Have a great day. >> Of course. You too. Thank you. And everyone at home, if you would like to see this interview again, just head to First Coast News Plus.

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