NeuroHealth is transforming the conversation around mental health therapy. In just over two years, the clinic has become a revolutionary option for patients battling treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety.
Under the guidance of board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Rayner, NeuroHealth offers Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, a therapy likened to physical therapy for the brain. The process involves a 20-minute session, five days a week, for 36 sessions.
NeuroHealth’s co-owner and director of operations, Jason Corbridge, said 83 percent of TMS patients experienced reduced symptoms and 62 percent achieved remission over 12 months.
“It’s awesome, especially when you don’t have the side effects like medication,” Corbridge said. “It was a slow burn to get everything going with NeuroHealth and now it’s been great. Our schedule has been full for a long time.”
TMS has been FDA-approved since 2008 and accepted by most insurance plans since 2016. NeuroHealth uses a NeuroStar chair for its non-invasive treatments. A cushioned coil placed against the head allows magnetic pulses to deliver stimulation to the appropriate part of the brain.
Patients might feel discomfort during the first few days of treatment, including tapping or tingling, but the effect lessens with subsequent procedures. Jessica Brown, a NeuroStar practice development manager, said no other therapeutic modality brings such fast relief with virtually no side effects.
“Someone with depression is not depressed. They have depression in their brain. It’s in the left lateral prefrontal cortex, a golf ball-sized location. So what TMS is doing is stimulating that area of the brain to increase that neuroplasticity,” Brown said. “As those neurons are starting to fire again, that neuroplasticity is strengthened and the brain now has the ability to adapt and to change.”
Once the full course of treatment is completed, NeuroHealth specialists monitor patients’ progress through self-assessment surveys and offer maintenance updates if a patient feels they’re sliding back into depression.
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, NeuroHealth hosted an open house to introduce people to the TMS concept and provided activities that promote good mental health, including journaling, painting, guided breathing practices and quiet reflection.
“These are all activities that you can do on your own to be able to think positively and bring about that mental headspace that you need,” said Elizabeth Sweat, NeuroHealth patient experience coordinator.
Located in South Jordan at 10437 S. Temple Drive, NeuroHealth specializes in TMS but also offers some ketamine treatment.
“Anyone who has been suffering with depression, anxiety and OCD would be a good candidate for TMS, specifically people who haven’t seen any benefits from medications in the past or other forms of treatment,” said Karen Canul, NeuroHealth client coordinator. “All of the people who work here really care about everyone. We like to talk to our patients, get to know them and make them feel welcome.”
To learn more about TMS or to schedule a consultation, visit NeuroHealthUtah.com.
“I have co-workers who have been in remission for seven years,” Brown said. “What we’re doing is we’re making those lower days higher and more manageable for people to continue an adaptive lifestyle. … Depression is lifelong, but they’re learning different things as they go through TMS.”