NAPLES, Fla. — Treating depression has taken on a whole new look for patients at Dura Medical, a mental health clinic in Naples.
James Pyott tells Fox 4 finding ways to treat his depression, was an uphill battle.
“I was incapacitated to such an extent hygiene and eating were my primary concerns,” said Pyott.
Pyott says his willingness to try new types of treatment was fueled by his desperation to find help.
That’s when he discovered Targeted Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
“It basically feels like some tapping their four fingers on the side of your head,” said Pyott.
It’s a treatment, Stephen Durand, owner of Dura Medical has been doing since 2019.
"TMS is a strong magnetic coil that delivers a magnetic pulse to the left pre-frontal cortex that’s responsible for mood control. We thought it would be good for our patients because some experience treatment resistance and for those who either medications don't work or have side effects that they don't like, we wanted an alternative treatment for that,” said Durand.
Durand says each session takes around three minutes and most of his patient’s mental health improves after three or four weeks of treatment.
He says many patients, receiving TMS five days a week also helps them cut down on medication.
“My previous treatments have been medication. i have been on so many that I have lost count of years ago. None had any positive effects and they all had negative side effects," said Pyott.
“The reason you can do this is because the magnetic stimulation works very much like medication by stimulating neurons to produce those neurotransmitters,” said Durand.
Durand says the goal of treatment is to eventually teach the brain to stimulate those neurons on its own.
and when done correctly,
“I live currently a normal life with enthusiasm and energy,” said Pyott.
Durand says Targeted Magnetic Stimulation has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat anyone 18 years and older with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
