High Plains Mental Health
A revolutionary treatment for severe adult depression is continuing to change lives in Northwest Kansas. Due to continued positive outcomes and volume of need, High Plains Mental Health Center is adding a second Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment facility in Hays. TMS treatment capacity has increased from 14 to 28 people each weekday, significantly increasing capacity to serve more clients who qualify for the medication-free treatment, said Dr. Mark Romereim, medical director.
“As our patients have experienced the benefits of TMS treatment, they have started spreading the word of how much it has helped them to their friends and families, as well as their health care providers, which has increased the need for us to be able to provide this life-altering treatment for people in our area,” Romereim said. “We are very excited to have another treatment unit available, which will not only allow us to be able to treat more people at a time and minimize any wait to get treatments started, but also will allow us more ability to work around patients’ work schedules, so that they can come in before or after work, or over their lunch time.”
TMS is a medication-free treatment that is approved for clients older than 15 with treatment-resistant depression, meaning other types of treatment have not been effective. The device transmits gentle electro-magnetic pulses that stimulate specific areas of the brain, influencing brain activity and improving symptoms. The treatment is provided under the supervision of a psychiatrist and is individualized for each client using brain mapping to identify the precise treatment location. With TMS, patients have an 83 percent chance of improvement and a 62 percent chance of illness remission.
Treatment sessions usually last about 19 minutes. It is an outpatient procedure and individuals receiving services can immediately resume normal activities. A typical treatment course is once daily every weekday for seven weeks, totaling 36 sessions. TMS has had FDA approval since 2008, so it’s not a new treatment, but it has taken insurance companies time to provide coverage. HPMHC purchased TMS equipment from a company called NeuroStar, which has provided treatment to nearly 200,000 people at more than 1,500 service sites across the nation. The treatment can be “life-altering” for individuals with major depressive disorder, anxious depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder, Romereim said.
Don Yost, Hays, knows first-hand how beneficial TMS treatment can be. He completed his seven-week course of treatment on April 4 and gradually has experienced remarkable changes in his thoughts, mood and overall functioning, he said. Yost had been diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD following active duty military service and combat trauma. Yosts’ unit was hit with an improvised explosive device during a tour in Iraq, leaving him with traumatic brain injury and other complications.
Yost enlisted in the Army right after graduating from high school in Bazine, and served for several years in the Army. He was medically retired following the attack on his convoy in Iraq, and that’s when his mental health really began spiraling.
“My life from that point forward was never going to be the same,” Yost said. “All I knew was ‘work, work, work,’ and ‘military, military, military.’ So to get thrown out in the civilian world was kind of a knock down, I guess you’d say.”
Yost’s injuries left him facing a significant recovery process, basically learning how to walk and talk again, he said. As his physical health improved, he began seeking a new purpose and attended motorcycle mechanic school in Arizona. His mental health, however, was still spiraling, and he was struggling badly with PTSD symptoms and flashbacks. Eventually, that led to anxiety and depression, as well as self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Yost, at the height of desperation, attempted suicide multiple times.
Yost moved back home to Northwest Kansas, began seeking treatment for his mental health challenges, and was eager to try TMS when it became available in Hays. For him, the treatments (which usually take about 20 minutes) were very relaxing and he usually took a nap when he got home. Other than that, he did not notice any side effects.
“The TMS, what it did for me, now I can go out in public. I wasn’t able to do that,” he said. “TMS has done so much for me. It’s a miracle, I guess you could say.” As his symptoms improved, Yost has been able to connect with a regional Christian men’s ministry called Encounter and volunteers as a server. He also holds a leadership role with the Forty and Eight veterans’ organization, providing tours of the Kansas Merci Boxcar and advocating for veterans’ PTSD awareness every chance he gets.
While TMS is primarily for treatment-resistant depression, Yost said he has also noticed a reduction in his anxiety and PTSD symptoms. The triggers are still there, he said, but they come less often. TMS is not FDA-approved for primary PTSD treatment, but there is frequent overlap between PTSD and depressive symptoms, Romereim said, noting there is growing research that TMS could be effective for anxiety and PTSD symptoms.
Most payor sources, including VA benefits, Tricare and Blue Cross, cover the cost of TMS treatment. In Kansas, KanCare Medicaid is currently the exception, but HPMHC staff are advocating for that to change.
“I’m a lot happier,” Yost said of his experience after TMS treatment, noting his overall thought patterns have become more positive. “It’s little by little. Somedays there’s bigger jumps than others.”
Yost said he would not hesitate to encourage others with severe depression symptoms to consider TMS.
“Go for it, give it a shot. Your whole world is going to change. It’s going to change something, even if it doesn’t change everything you expect, but go in there with an open mind and open heart,” he said.
High Plains Mental Health Center is a licensed Community Mental Health Center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic dedicated to the aggressive pursuit of providing a comprehensive mental health program to the residents of Northwest Kansas. Embodied in this pursuit are fundamental principles of establishing quality services as close to home as possible, at an affordable fee, and delivered in the least disruptive manner available. Such services will offer a continuum of care so that treatment can be individualized, and our staff can respond quickly and compassionately to those reaching out to us. We’re Here for You!