Birmingham: 0121 314 0330 | London: 020 360 360 08
TMS therapy uses a series of repetitive, brief and highly focused magnetic pulses to stimulate brain cells to increase brain activity.
Your treatments are carried out in the comfort of our clinic by an experienced clinician, who will be with you for every step of your journey.
What exactly happens during a TMS treatment?
Patients relax in the therapy chair and a ‘paddle’ is placed over the area of their brain which is to be treated. It will rest lightly on their scalp throughout treatment. The patient will feel a tapping sensation on their head as the magnetic pulses are delivered. It is pain-free and our patients are free to talk, listen to music or just sit back and relax as the treatment is delivered. Afterwards, they are free to go about their normal day, including driving or resuming work.
Learn more about the full treatment process here.
How often will I need TMS?
This depends on each individual case and the disorder being treated. The psychiatrist is able to advise on that following your assessment. Each standard TMS session for depression lasts for about 30 minutes, between 20-30 sessions are required for the treatment to be effective.
We can also administer a more powerful treatment using the theta burst technology, which can reduce the duration of treatment to 3- 6 minutes with no change in the effectiveness in improving depression symptoms.
We can administer between 1 – 3 sessions of TMS Monday- Friday.
If you are travelling outside of the Birmingham clinic commutable area, we can help you arrange local accommodation with easy access to the clinic for the duration of your treatment. We have deals with local hotels at 40% less than prices you’ll see online so please ask us if you need accommodation.
Are there any side effects?
At Oaktree Clinic we have not encountered any side effects in any of our patients.
Although pain-free, some people find the ‘tapping’ sensation or noise of the magnetic pulses near their head uncomfortable .
In research elsewhere, some have reported a light-headed feeling, a mild localised headache, a tingling in the face, jaw or scalp and temporary hearing problems from the noise of the machine. Extremely rarely a very small risk of seizures has been reported but never encountered in clinical practice in Europe.
Why hasn’t my GP heard of TMS?
TMS was accredited by NICE for the treatment of depression in 2015, National Treatment Guidelines and also by the Royal College of Psychiatrists –RCPsych Guidelines
It is still a relatively new treatment, although research into TMS has been ongoing since the 1980s.
Awareness of TMS is growing but there is still a lack of knowledge amongst some GPs about this pioneering new treatment so please feel free to share the recommendations by NICE with your practitioner. We would welcome the chance to talk to any GP or referrer who would like to learn more about TMS to open the opportunity for treatment to more patients.
How much does it cost?
Every individual and their treatment is different. Some respond to the treatment earlier and with minimum sessions, compared to the others . Your mental health is important and we want to ensure you get care that is tailored exactly to your needs to ensure the best chances of recovery, which is why we offer a well-rounded care programme and not just TMS sessions.
Our fees start at £200- 250 per session. This is up to 50% less than some other clinics without compromising on quality. We accept all major credit cards.
We are committed to making this highly effective treatment available to as many people as possible. We would therefore consider discounts for certain personal circumstances. Please talk to us to see how we can help you.
Is TMS covered under health insurance?
Coverage for the treatment often depends on a person’s individual health needs and policy. We are able to offer an initial assessment and help you build a case for it with your insurance company if we feel TMS would be beneficial.
The following Health Insurance Companies have agreed to fund TMS at Oaktree:
BUPA
BUPA international
Aviva
Exeter
Healix
What are the results of this treatment compared to anti-depressants?
At Oaktree we have seen 90% of our patients getting relief from their depression and anxiety which is higher than any other clinic. Antidepressants response rate is only 45- 55% in contrast depending on the research study.
See our TMS treatment results: Oaktree TMS – Results
How is Oaktree Different
What are the advantages of TMS?
Ms. Caron M. was seen at the clinic by one of the psychiatrists. Caron was a high functioning, successful both professionally and in her personal life until her mental health issues started.
She suffered from low mood, anxiety, insomnia, exhaustion and inability to function at home and work. A diagnosis of severe depression was established. Unfortunately, Caron had suffered from similar episodes of low mood before. She decided to go for TMS as she wanted a decisive effective treatment without having to take medication that could give her side effects in the long term.
Mrs. Sarah L. was first diagnosed with recurrent severe depression in London 3 years before being seen at The Oaktree Clinic by one of our psychiatrists.
When she did not respond to any anti-depressant medication, singly or in various combinations, TMS was trialled in London. Sarah then remained well for three years but started to have a relapse of symptoms thereafter. At the time of her assessment at Oaktree, she was uncommunicative, not eating and losing significant amount of weight at a rapid rate. She was so low in motivation that even looking after her own daily needs was difficult for her, let alone look after her three young children.
Sarah made a full recovery from her symptoms with just 20 sessions of rTMS
Mr Jas K. decided to come to Oaktree for an assessment of his mental health having suffered from severe anxiety and features of OCD for many years. He had tried every possible psychological therapy and self help technique, medication and alternative treatments due to the distress he experienced. For some time before his initial visit to Oaktree, Jas had started to question whether his life was worth living.
Jas has not only recovered fully from his anxiety but has been enjoying life at work and home to a much fuller extent following his treatment with rTMS.
The Oaktree Clinic, Birmingham
52 Frederick Road
Edgbaston
Birmingham, B15 1HN
Tel: 0121 314 0330
Fax: 0121 535 7093
Monday 9am-5.30pm
Tuesday 9am-5.30pm
Wednesday 9am-8pm
Thursday 9am-6pm
Friday 9am-4pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday Closed
©2020 Oaktree Midlands Limited, all rights reserved. Company registration no: 09571994.