Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS, is one of the newer ways to treat mental illnesses, especially major depression. All the data so far has indicated a safe, effective and non-invasive treatment for depression with little to no adverse side effects. As with all new treatments, patients might worry whether the results — no matter how promising they may…
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March 19th, 2020 Ziv E. Cohen, MD In this challenging time, many are feeling anxiety about their health and economic security. The Covid-19 outbreak, which began in China, in a matter of weeks has spread around the world. In the process, how we live our lives has been dramatically altered. Work disruption and changes…
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Question: I’m a 30-year-old male and I was just diagnosed with adult ADD. My doctor told me that I need to take medications to control it. What are the side-effects of attention deficit medications? Answer: Adult Attention Deficit Disorder has become a more commonly recognized condition. It used to be believed that ADD only manifested…
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Question: I’m a 20 year old that has been dealing with depression for 4 months. What are good anti-depressants? Or should I see a doctor? Answer: (Dr. Ziv Cohen): Fortunately, there are many good antidepressants. The first antidepressants–developed in the 1950s–were highly effective but caused side effects like constipation, dry mouth, and sleepiness. Today’s first…
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Question: My daughter vomited tonight, and she has a big social event coming up tomorrow that she’s very nervous about. Is it possible that she vomited because of stress? Answer: Stress is a very common source of physical symptoms. In fact, the gut is a prime area for these symptoms to manifest because there are…
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Question: I have depression, but I noticed that I’ve been feeling anxious a lot of the time. Why does depression cause anxiety? Answer: Depression and anxiety often run together. You can think of them as two threads that together weave a fabric. On occasion, we do we see patients who have only depression, without significant…
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Depression is a highly recurrent disorder. Estimates are that more than 50% of patients experience repeat episodes of depression (Kupfer et al., 1996). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an evidence-based therapy for the acute treatment of major depression, with a high rate of treatment response. Following adequate response to an acute course of TMS (i.e.…
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In addition to being used as a treatment for refractory depression, ketamine has also been studied and is being used in the treatment of anxiety. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology looked at the use of ketamine in those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder who did not respond…
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When ketamine was originally approved for its anesthetic properties, it was a highly desirable drug because unlike other anesthesia medications that tend to rapidly decrease blood pressure and heart rate, ketamine actually increased blood pressure and heart rate. This is recognized as a desirable side effect in anesthesia, as low blood pressure during surgery could…
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TMS in Pregnancy – A pregnant woman with depression is in a difficult situation. In order to manage the depression, she might require antidepressant medication; however, seeing as the medication not only affects her but also the developing fetus, she may prefer to avoid medication. But if the depression goes untreated this will likely result…
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