Posted at 11:00 a.m.
The upsurge in COVID-19 cases is a blow to people who already suffer from depression. The pandemic will have exacerbated the flaws in what was already the poor relation of medicine: mental health.
Depression is among the most common mental illnesses. One in four people will suffer from depression severe enough in their lifetime to require treatment. It can occur one or more times during a person’s life, it can also be chronic. We all know the impact of depression on our society as much on the economic, social, professional or family level. I often tell myself that we would be so much better off investing more in it.
There are different ways to treat depression, such as psychotherapy, medication or a combination of several therapeutic tools. Sometimes you have to try several treatments, be patient and, above all, not give in to despair.
This pandemic is throwing oil on the fire, social isolation, lack of access to care, job losses, family difficulties, confinement. All these things make it more and more likely to fall into depression or to exacerbate this evil.
Since 2017, I have had the privilege of working with another treatment option for depression that I believe deserves greater insight.
A medical treatment approved since 2002 by Health Canada for the treatment of depression, this treatment is scientifically validated by Canadian practice guidelines to treat patients who suffer from depression and who have not responded to a first trial of antidepressants. He demonstrates response rates between 15 and 40%, which is a lot. This unfortunately still little known therapeutic option is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
This technology uses magnetic pulses that will induce electrical currents in the neurons of the region of the targeted cortex, it stimulates neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin which act directly on mood. No anesthetic agent is needed. It is a safe, non-invasive procedure that lasts about 15 minutes, the person is alert and no rest or recovery period is required afterwards. Patients can return to their daily activities, including driving their car. Most patients see an improvement in their symptoms after just a few sessions.
An evaluation must be made, beforehand, by a psychiatrist, because this treatment does not apply to all patients suffering from depression. Follow-up is required during and after treatment.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is, after all, relatively rare in hospitals and clinics in Quebec. Since 2017, I have seen the positive impact in many patients, I very often think of those who do not have access to it.
I would like us to give this glimmer of hope to people suffering from depression. Prevent suicides, save human lives, allow people to regain a taste for life more quickly, resume their work, family and social relationships, and break isolation in general.
At the beginning of the year, and in this particularly difficult time of a pandemic for people suffering from depression, I wish with all my heart that this innovative technology which could have an impact on so many people finds its way into more hospitals and clinics throughout Quebec.