A reflection on my experience being a TMS Technician and my opinions on mental illness

A wonderful patient experience

This patient of mine came into treatment with despair and had very little hope left in regards to her depression feeling better. To protect this patient’s identity we will call her “Anna”. Anna had a running history of depression from her family history. Her father was bipolar and committed suicide and her brother had also committed suicide from depression. Facing severe depression herself she often wondered if it was her time to go. Thankfully, she decided to try one last treatment before she would reconsider other options to move forward. Anna is a wife with three kids and a dog. Had a decent paying job and had very little to worry about financially. You could say she was your average middle aged woman who was living the American dream but just struggled with depression. Before starting treatment we would ask the patients what their mood was on a scale from one to ten. Anna was constantly a one and would come in with crying spells. Anna would often vent that she has very little hope of getting better. We assured her that it is worth getting through treatment and seeing what the outcome is. As we push through treatments her mood would slowly climb. After about a week through treatment her moods would then become a two and then shortly a three. As time went on Anna would come in a little bit happier and a little bit more optimistic about her future. Periodically her moods would be 6 or 7 on really good days. Towards the end of her treatment her mood would hover around 4 or 5 and then fast forward to her last appointment her mood was a 6. On her last day she was a totally different person. No more crying spells and would come in with a smile. She then stated "Brycen, I am so happy to say that I feel like a different person! It is easier for me to hangout with my kids and husband. I do not have a hard time waking up in the morning and I truly feel optimistic for my future. I do not even recognize the Anna that originally walked in here 6 weeks ago". Hopefully, through Anna's experience this will give you hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is well worth getting any type of mental health assistance.

TMS Therapy

I would like to introduce exactly what TMS therapy is and does. Every single time my work pops up in a conversation the other person has no idea what TMS is and chances are you might be in the same boat. TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation which is a form of treatment to treat various mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). In short, a helmet that is put on the head of the person delivers an MRI strength coil to stimulate the part of the brain associated with depression, anxiety, and OCD. This part of the brain is called the primary motor cortex which is associated with jaw and thumb movement. This is important because in order to find the right location for treatment we need to stimulate just enough so that their thumb does not move but if we were to increase the strength of the pulse a little bit more, the patients thumb would move. After we find the right location we will then move the helmet forward by 6 inches which will target the mood center of the brain which is associated with depression and anxiety. A patient would then come in every day for 30-45 minutes for about 6 weeks. Many of these patients have already tried other forms of treatment for their respective mental illness and usually TMS serves as an option if medication is not effective. If you would like to learn more about TMS feel free to click here.

Destigmatize mental illnesses

It is easy to assume that the majority of the people that come in for this type of treatment may be abnormal or weird. Maybe they are anti-social and come off as "psychos". You might even think that these people fit in the category of being in a psychiatric ward. However, all of these assumptions or preconceived notions could not be farther from the truth. Now, I am not saying that you are thinking this type of way but I am saying that sometimes there is a social stigma towards mental illnesses and you must be some sort of "alien" if you are experiencing some sort of mental illness. The single most important lesson that I have learned from this job so far is that the people who come in for this type of treatment are every day people. These are the same people that you would see walking down the street or in the same aisle as you at your local Vons. People of all ages and different backgrounds come in for treatment. You may think that there is a certain demographic that is more prone to depression but I get an equal amount of people who are male and female and people of all ages ranging from 18-75. There is nothing "weird" about these people either. If you were to talk to the people that come in for treatment you would never guess that they are battling something inside unless they explicitly told you.

Breaking the chain

When people are experiencing mental health issues they are often times infectious. Depressed people have the power of making other people depressed and anxious people have the power of making other people anxious. This is especially true when it comes to having or interacting with kids or those part of the younger generation. For example, when a parent is struggling with depression and decides not to get help they are doing their children a disservice. This is a disservice to their children because they affect them through their actions. It is unhealthy for a kid to see their parent depressed and this really affects their childhood. In result, these children grow to become depressed adults because that is all they know. Since their parent did not get help then the chances of them getting help as well is extremely low. If a parent is able to work through their mental illness then they can be an example for those that are younger than them. They end up breaking the chain and discontinuing the struggle to the younger generation. I know that often times mental health issues are genetic and there is nothing you can do about that. At the very least the parent is able to set an example on how to deal with that specific mental illness that those are younger than them can learn from. Overall, seeking help for your mental illness does not only better yourself but it also betters those around you.

The pursuit of happiness

Everybody is searching for the same thing in this world which is happiness. Happiness is the reason we chase money because we think it will make us happier. We make and maintain friendships with people that make us happy. We participate in our hobbies because they make us happy. We love to laugh and smile because that is what being happy is. However, at the same time I also think we take happiness for granted. Happiness is such a simple yet powerful emotion that every human being needs to experience to survive. You don't really recognize happiness until it's gone. When you are happy you want more and when you are not happy you want it so bad. This job has really taught me to appreciate the emotion we call happiness. The insurance companies of these patients pay thousands of dollars for this treatment. People take at least 45 minutes out of their day Monday through Friday just to experience a little bit more of this one emotion for 6 or more weeks. Is this too much to ask? At the end of the day we are all in the same boat. We are all stuck in this world where you have to have money to be happy. You have to have a significant other to prove that you are worthy and attractive. When you are feeling down Instagram likes play more of an impact on your happiness compared to the compliments of your friends. The list goes on and we can sit here all day going down the rabbit hole of why it is so hard to be happy in our society today. Instead, it is important to realize that we are all more alike than we are different. Every single one of these patients has a story to tell and a life to live. Sometimes, they just need someone to listen in this busy world where very few people would listen. Which brings me to my next topic, loneliness.

Loneliness

I am quite passionate about this topic because of my job. I knew that loneliness has been a problem but I did not know it was this much of a problem. The people who come in for treatment are diagnosed with depression and sometimes anxiety. More often than not loneliness comes as a symptom of depression. Sometimes, it is the cause of someone's depression which is an unfortunate reality. As I began to get to know my patients and hear their story I have found a common denominator between everyone of them. Just about every single patient struggles with their relationships with other people in some sort of way or another. I am not quite sure if depression has caused the loneliness or if loneliness caused depression but what I do know is that loneliness is a factor here and many other people in this world experience it as well. This really got me thinking on why loneliness is such an unfortunate reality in modern society and what can the average person do about it. I think this is a complex problem and there is no one solution. However, I do think there is a few amount of things that the average person can do to hopefully reduce the loneliness problem modern society faces today. One of those things is to reach out and have those tough conversions with one another. The goal of this is not to give advice but rather to listen. Most of the time all someone needs is someone to listen and let their voice be heard. On the other hand, if you are experiencing loneliness don't be afraid to reach out to someone. Scientific studies have proven that when someone helps someone out they may experience more happiness compared to the person who is seeking help. This is called the "helper's high". Lastly, don't take things personal. Even if you reach out sometimes the person may not want to share and that is totally ok.

The power of listening

Listening can be the single most important thing you can do for someone who is mentally ill. In this busy world all it takes is one person to take initiative, and that one person can be you. Many people fear talking to people with mental illnesses because they don't know what to say or do. All you have to do is listen. There is a famous story about Kevin Berthia who decided one day to take his own life on the Golden Gate Bridge. Thankfully, he was unsuccessful in his attempt because officer Kevin Briggs listened to him. He listened to him for 92 minutes. Just because officer Kevin Briggs listened he was able to save someone's life. When people contemplate suicide it is often a cry for help. Deep down they don't want to die, they just want their problems to go away. At the time, death seems like the only solution. When you listen with intent you seek to understand. When you understand you are then able to help. When you are able to help your are able to change lives. Next time you find yourself in a conversation with someone who is struggling I encourage you to really listen with intent. To really make sure that you understand what the person is saying. This way, we can make more of an impact on those who are struggling. Thank you for listening.