FAQ
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ( TMS) , is a non-invasive therapy for management of various psychiatric disorders.
The current indications under Medicare are for treatment of treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration , cleared TMS for the treatment of depression in adults in 2008 , obsessive-compulsive disorder in 2019, smoking cessation in 2020, and comorbid anxiety in major depressive disorder in 2021.
TMS is currently being studied and researched for several other conditions.
Therapeutic Brain Stimulation Melbourne, offers outpatient , clinic based TMS treatments which does not require any inpatient admissions. Your treating doctor can either make a referral through the referral form on the website or fax or email the referral to the clinic. The Clinic Staff will get in touch with you after receiving the referral. The contact details are:
No, TMS treatment is offered as an outpatient treatment. TMS treatment does not require sedation or anesthesia and usually there is no recovery time after a session of treatment.
On some occasions, based on clinical presentations, severity of symptoms, and specific relevant circumstances, the recommendation for inpatient TMS may be made. If this is the case, the Psychiatrist will discuss this with you.You would need your treating Psychiatrist or GP to provide a referral including summary of the clinical condition and treatments received, and a request for TMS. Your treating doctor can make a referral directly through the referral form on the website or email or fax it to the clinic.
Medicare funded TMS (if criteria is met), carries a small out-of-pocket fee, which would be discussed by the clinic staff before the mapping and treatment sessions are booked.
Therapeutic Brain Stimulation Melbourne, can provide treatment for Workcover and DVA patients if the claim is approved, which carries no out-of-pocket fee.Before the TMS treatment can commence, a mapping session needs to be conducted to precisely mark the stimulation area as well as assess tolerability of treatment. At this session, a TMS accredited Psychiatrist determines the area, and intensity of stimulation and prescribes the specific TMS programme. For TMS mapping the TMS coil is positioned over the patient's head and several measurements are done. Mapping is a process to determine the point of stimulation and for determining the resting motor threshold which is required to individualise the treatment.
Once the mapping is completed, the patient is booked in for TMS treatments . The TMS treatment can last around 3-30 minutes based upon the protocols used. During the treatment session, patients can hear a series of clicking sounds and often feel a tapping sensation under the treatment coil. Usually there is no or minimal discomfort during the treatment. TMS mapping or treatment sessions do not require use of anaesthesia or sedation . One can drive home after receiving the treatment.You would need your treating Psychiatrist or GP to provide a referral including summary of the clinical condition and treatments received which can be emailed, faxed or sent on the referral form on the website.
Your referral will be triaged and discussed with the available Panel Psychiatrist and accordingly an appointment will be offered. The appointment will be held either Face to Face or through online video platform and a thorough clinical assessment will be conducted. After the assessment is completed, the Psychiatrist will provide and opinion to the referrer about suitability of these treatment options as well as respond to any other questions by the referrer.Yes, there is an applicable out of pocket fee which will be explained when the appointment is being booked by the staff. However, most of the fee would be Medicare rebatable.
Depending upon the response and ability to tolerate, usually an acute course can comprise of upto 35 TMS treatments, usually delivered once a day for 4-5 days week for 6-7 weeks. It can be difficult to precisely predict beforehand how effective the treatment might be, thus the progress and response is reviewed and plan adjusted accordingly by the treating psychiatrist. At times maintenance treatment options may be considered on an individualized basis for which evidence base is still consolidating. .