Eastside residents, and particularly those in Kirkland, now have a cutting-edge alternative to anti-depressant medication and risky therapy targeting depression relief.

It’s called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation — which psychiatrists understandably shorten to TMS — and the treatment technique is the newest in the arsenal at Binnacle Psychiatry in Kirkland, run by Dr. Becky Bay.

“It’s being used all over the USA with remarkable success,” Bay said last week from her hotel in Atlanta where she was attending a national clinical TMS society meeting to learn more about the technique, which Binnacle first used on Thursday, May 19. “The only indication right now is for depression, but they’re working on more indications for axiety, post-traumatic stress and addictions.”

The TMS machine, which Bay says will be the first on the Eastside, works by emitting magnetic pulses toward certain areas of the brain and stimulates areas that are subdued or overactive due to depression.

Bay said the treatment was typically for people with whom medications haven’t been successful, and that it has been shown to have a high responsive rate: 60-70 percent of patients respond, with 30-40 percent of patients going into remission.

The precursor to TMS is called Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), which forces patients to go under anesthesia and can cause extensive short-term memory loss. ECT has been shown to be more effective than TMS, but Bay doesn’t believe the risks are worth it.

“It’s a different option, an additional option, without having to risk three weeks [of memories] and have someone drive me there,” Bay said. “Not everyone can leave work for three weeks.”

TMS, on the other hand, doesn’t require patients to have anesthesia. Much like fitting in a massage or a chiropractic visit, patients can drive to the office and drive back to work 30 minutes later.

Treatment is typically around 20 sessions, depending on the response, and is FDA approved and paid for by most insurance companies and Medicare, Bay said.

Bay likened the machine to an old-fashioned salon hairdryer — noninvasive, even if it does look a little goofy.

“We will be a go-to for people with depression looking for effective treatment who have failed anti-depressants and therapy,” she said.

JOHN WILLIAM HOWARD, Kirkland Reporter

jhoward@kirklandreporter.com or 425-242-4361