New mental health treatment facility (15/4/24)

The Examiner

In a first for Northern Tasmania, a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment facility has opened in Launceston. Video by Aaron Smith (15/4/24)

Transcript

00:00 We are now announcing that we have in Launceston two TMS machines which are available for treatment

00:08 for patients as outpatients. For the first time we have this available in the north of Tasmania.

00:15 Previously our patients would have to either fly into state or they would have to go down south,

00:21 be admitted. Since the closure of the St Helen's private hospital that has put added pressure

00:29 on people wanting to access this. The problem we've had with antidepressants is that when you're down

00:34 to about your third antidepressant the chances of the person going to remission is only around 10

00:40 to 15 percent. So you get the same old thing where you get patients who are having antidepressant

00:45 after antidepressant after antidepressant. The benefit of TMS is that it's very effective

00:50 in treating major depressive disorder. Its side effects are far less often than the

00:57 antidepressants. It's not a drug, it's not shock treatment. You are conscious throughout.

01:05 You can drive to have the treatment, drive away to have from the treatment.

01:10 It doesn't put on weight, it's safe in pregnancy and it doesn't affect your sex drive. The federal

01:18 government has funded TMS so under Medicare you can get 35 treatments for your initial course.

01:26 If that works in four months time you can have another 15 treatments if you do relapse. So we

01:34 now have a medication which in combination with the change in antidepressants gives northern

01:40 Tasmanians the ability to have a greater chance to get better. This time last year I was in almost

01:46 a catatonic state of depression where I couldn't function, couldn't do anything and I was losing

01:54 my battle with suicidal thoughts. Nothing was working despite seeing Lucy on a regular basis

02:00 and having multiple medications on board. I was then referred to Professor Barton

02:05 who then assessed me. Now unfortunately because of the situation at the time I had to go to

02:13 Melbourne to become an inpatient where I was there for a month. Halfway through that treatment

02:19 there was a noticeable change in my mood and behaviour and by the end of it

02:23 it was completely different. I was, yeah, I was, everyone was gold smacked at the complete

02:31 different and change in me. I was able to function, I was able to return to work, I was able to be a

02:37 mother and I was officially free from depression for the first time in over four years. TMS has

02:48 not only helped me return to work it has literally saved my life.

02:53 you

02:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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