TMS Treatment for Bipolar Disorder

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a medicine-free, pain-free treatment approach with minimal to no side effects

TMS is an innovative physical treatment for depressive episodes with Bipolar Affective Disorder

TMS has significant advantage over antidepressant medication in this condition. It uses magnetic pulses to treat parts of the brain involved in depression.

What is Bipolar Affective Disorder?

Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive illness or manic depression) is a mental health condition that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood from elated and irritable to extreme sadness or flatness. The highs consist of high energy and activity levels this contrasts with the period of lows where the sufferer feels extremely low, exhausted with no motivation for anything. These shifts make day-to-day life difficult to manage and enjoy. It can occur in men and women equally and is usually diagnosed before 30 years age. The cause is not known but it is commoner in people with a close relative who suffer from BPAD suggesting a genetic basis and is usually triggered by stressful events in life.

Depressive episodes within bipolar affective disorder or BPAD, present as:

Feeling sad or flat and empty in mood most of the time
Feeling hopeless, worthless and guilty
Low or complete lack of energy
Difficulty in concentrating and registering that affects memory
No enjoyment in otherwise liked activities and aspects
In severe cases sufferers can experience delusions or hallucinations
Sleeping problems like insomnia and waking up too early
Reduced appetite with no enjoyment in eating
Thoughts of self-harm and suicide

TMS treatment for bipolar disorder

TMS works in depression in bipolar disorder by acting on the front of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, that is partly recognised as the area involved in depression. This improves brain function, blood supply and brain imaging studies have even shown brain growth with transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Advantages of TMS Over Medication for Bipolar Disorder

1.

Unlike medication, the antidepressants that suppress emotion, TMS stimulates the underactive brain cells, improves communication between the neurons and treats the source of the problem using targeted magnetic pulses.

2.

Antidepressant medications are known to trigger dangerous manic episodes based on clinical experience and research. Consequently, they are not recommended for treating depressive episodes in individuals with bipolar disorder.

3.

Antidepressants are less effective in treating depression with only 5 out of 10 people recovering with it as compared to 7 out of 10 getting better with TMS.

4.

Antidepressant take at least two weeks to show any positive effect on improvement of depressive symptoms. TMS, on the other hand can start to show the effects within days.

Cost of rTMS/ TMS at Oaktree

Costs for Mental Health and rTMS Suitability Assessment:

Online
Assessment

This is a full mental health assessment by a qualified top psychiatrist doctor who will discuss all your current and past mental health issues, how these have affected your life. They will then discuss the diagnosis and all appropriate and best treatment options with you, including medication, TMS, talking therapies, social support.

Face to Face
Assessment

Meeting the psychiatrist doctor face to face for a full mental health assessment maybe a good option for you. Like many others you may feel more comfortable to talk about mental health issues in person, additionally you will be able to see the TMS treatment room in the Birmingham Oaktree Clinic, this may help make you feel more relaxed when and if you start the treatment.

TMS Session Costs

We have gone an extra mile to keep the treatment as affordable for you as possible. You will find that our treatment costs at least 25% less than our competitors but we assure you that the quality of care will be excellent and consultant psychiatrist led.

Treatment	Cost
Initial 15 Sessions	£2,625	These sessions will help us assess if the treatment is working for you with improvement of depressive symptoms. If you are recovering, then you should go for the 2^nd course.
2^nd Course 15 Sessions	£2,625	We expect that you fully recover by the end of the 30 sessions.

Number of Sessions	Individual Cost	Package Cost
5 sessions, Minimum payment required to start treatment	£1000	£1000
20 sessions	£4000	£3600
25 sessions	£5000	£4000
25 sessions + 5 maintenance sessions after 3 months	£6000	£6000