The clinic will address the growing mental health crisis offering a breakthrough treatment for depression
CLARK COUNTY — Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of people showing symptoms and seeking help for depression has skyrocketed. A recent study found that four out of 10 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder; a four-fold increase from pre-COVID life.
Kaiser Family Foundation analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey and found the prevalence of mental illness in Washington increased significantly in the last year. To provide additional treatment options to address this growing crisis, Active Recovery TMS, an Oregon-based mental health clinic specializing in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat depression, is opening its sixth location in Vancouver in April.
Active Recovery TMS is currently accepting patients for its new clinic located in the Columbia Tech Center, Building 608, 1499 SE Tech Center PL, Suite 170. The clinic will provide people struggling with severe depression who haven’t responded to medication or talk therapy with a valuable option for managing their mental health.
TMS can reduce symptoms of depression or bring it under control with minimal side effects. It is an FDA-cleared treatment covered by most commercial insurance plans, Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, and Tri-Care/Tri-West.
“The World Health Organization found that by 2035, it’s predicted that depression will be the world’s number one cause of morbidity,” says Pritham Raj, MD, FACP, a psychiatrist at Active Recovery TMS. “When I began exploring TMS, I saw great results coming from the research studies on patients and their remission, and I was pleased to see people getting help with such mild side-effects and little or no medication.”
Active Recovery TMS currently has five locations across the Portland-metro area and greater Willamette Valley. In addition to the clinic in northwest Portland, last year, the company opened clinics in Hillsboro, Tigard, Salem, and most recently, Clackamas.
The demand for the clinic’s services continues to increase. Over the past year, the practice has nearly doubled its size, adding 12 new hires, including psychiatric nurse practitioners and technicians.
“Our goal is to improve access to this breakthrough treatment for all patients in our region. Expanding into Washington state has been a goal of ours for a long time. We are now able to offer this treatment to patients in southwest Washington, many who have been traveling to Portland every week,” said David Grano, CEO of Active Recovery TMS. “Because this treatment is performed daily, the proximity of clinics to our patient’s work and home is imperative.”
While a provider referral for services is not required, the clinics work with providers to design treatment plans and confirm insurance coverage for the procedures.
TMS uses a highly focused, pulsed magnetic field (similar to an MRI) to target the brain regions involved in regulating mood. Each treatment is approximately 20 minutes, five days a week for six weeks. While antidepressant medications may affect sleep or cognition, TMS causes minimal side effects in a small percentage of patients. The therapy is administered on an outpatient basis so that patients can resume their normal activities immediately following treatment.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. An estimated 17.3 million adults, or 7.1 percent of all U.S. adults, suffered from at least one major depressive episode in 2017. Studies now show that number has grown several-fold as a result of the pandemic.
Based on an internal review of patient outcomes, 79 percent of Active Recovery TMS patients have shown a measurable decrease in depression symptoms. These results are reported on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9; a commonly used depression scale), and one-third achieve control of their depression and are free from symptoms. These numbers echo more rigorous national studies conducted in clinical settings.
Active Recovery TMS strives to be a compelling option for those who have not had success with standard depression treatments like medication and psychotherapy. Active Recovery TMS has been treating patients since 2017. Call (503) 966-1132 or visit activerecoverytms.com for more information.
