Depression is the second most common illness seen among veterans — one in eight to 10 veterans visiting a primary care physician has major depression disorder (MDD) that requires treatment. (1,2) In fact, depression plagues veterans so much that the US Department of Veterans Affairs has reported that approximately 20…
TMS For Anxiety, PTSD, TBI
July 24, 2019
Note: This article was originally posted on July 19, 2019, and was updated on April 30, 2021 to include new information. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive treatment option for mental health disorders, such as depression. Although TMS is only FDA-approved for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (2008) and…
Does Medicaid Cover TMS?
May 30, 2019
Medicaid Does Not Cover TMS in New York State (But Medicare Does) Patients frequently contact our office and ask whether their New York state Medicaid plan will cover TMS. Unfortunately, our answer is always “not yet.” As of 2019, Medicaid covers several different treatments for depression – including medication and…
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
May 16, 2019
Learn How You Can Make a Difference Mental Health Awareness Month is a time of the year dedicated to raising awareness about mental health conditions in order to reduce the stigma surrounding them, promote practices that support emotional well-being, and to encourage more people suffering from mental health conditions to…
How Long TMS Takes To Work
May 15, 2019
One of the most common questions we are asked here at Madison Avenue TMS & Psychiatry is, “How long until I see results with TMS?” The shortest answer is: The time it takes to notice results with TMS depends on each patient. Are there reasons why some people notice a…
What Is the “Depression Helmet?”
April 18, 2019
How the TMS Helmet You’ve Seen on Social Media Works, and Why I Don’t Use It Thanks to some recent viral social media posts, the internet has been buzzing about the “depression helmet,” which is actually a method of delivering transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, also called TMS,…
What’s Happening in the Brain After TMS?
March 25, 2019
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a painless non-invasive treatment method used to relieve symptoms of major depression. TMS has been proven by numerous studies to successfully reduce symptoms of depression without the adverse effects associated with antidepressant medications. (1,2) But until recently, there has been little research on understanding the…
Depression Treatments That Are Safe for Pregnant Women
March 15, 2019
Depression can happen to anyone, at any age and any time. Unfortunately, it can also happen to women when pregnant and is sometimes accompanied by feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that between 14 and 23 percent of pregnant women experience depression.…
Dr. Woo At 2019 TMS Meeting
January 30, 2019
We are happy to announce that Dr. Woo will be attending the Clinical TMS Society’s annual meeting of 2019 in Vancouver from Thursday, February 21 until Saturday, February 23. This gathering of TMS researchers, industry experts, and the most experienced providers of transcranial magnetic stimulation is world-renowned for its workshops, demonstrations,…
Is TMS the Same as ECT?
January 16, 2019
As a psychiatrist specializing in depression, I meet a lot of patients who confuse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with ECT. It’s very easy to notice similarities between TMS and ECT – both are used to treat depression, and both involve placing an element over the head that sends signals into…