4 ms·

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (a non-invasive type of stimulation, in contrast to DBS) is cleared as a second-line (so, after one type of meds fails) treatm

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (a non-invasive type of stimulation, in contrast to DBS) is cleared as a second-line (so, after one type of meds fails) treatment for depression. http://www.neuronetics.com/products-services/system/ http://www.neuronetics.com/products-services/system/ If we can find a way to get costs down we absolutely will make medical devices a first-line treatment for mood disorders. There's so much more potential for being specific and preventing the side effects associated with common SSRI anti-depressants such as Prozac. (I'm a neuro-focused biomedical engineer and have worked on both spinal cord stimulation and deep brain stimulation devices)

lutusp 14y ago
> ... treatment for depression. As long as people understand that what is being treated are symptoms of depression, not the root cause, which is unknown. I emphasize this because, to a layman, the word "treatment" implies a method that addresses causes, not effects. This is not the case. If I operate on a patient and remove a tumor, I am treating cancer. If I offer the patient a more comfortable pillow, I am not treating cancer. The meta-issue here is the degree to which psychological conditions aren't medical conditions (yet) -- with rare exception they don't have identified causative agents, as a result of which treatments are symptomatic, and it's too soon to be talking about treatments (as above) and cures (as in the linked article's title). Anyone who wants to claim we've either treated or cured depression need only stop the symptomatic treatment and see what happens to the patient. > If we can find a way to get costs down we absolutely will make medical devices a first-line treatment for mood disorders. For one definition of "treatment", yes -- symptomatic relief. But not in the general sense.
- seehafer 14y ago
  > I emphasize this because, to a layman, the word "treatment" implies a method that addresses causes, not effects. This is not the case. By this logic Tylenol is not a treatment for a headache. There are a lot of treatments that are treating symptoms and not causes. Good doctors and nurses will generally point this out to patients when prescribing something.

lutusp 14y ago

> ... treatment for depression. As long as people understand that what is being treated are symptoms of depression, not the root cause, which is unknown. I emphasize this because, to a layman, the word "treatment" implies a method that addresses causes, not effects. This is not the case. If I operate on a patient and remove a tumor, I am treating cancer. If I offer the patient a more comfortable pillow, I am not treating cancer. The meta-issue here is the degree to which psychological conditions aren't medical conditions (yet) -- with rare exception they don't have identified causative agents, as a result of which treatments are symptomatic, and it's too soon to be talking about treatments (as above) and cures (as in the linked article's title). Anyone who wants to claim we've either treated or cured depression need only stop the symptomatic treatment and see what happens to the patient. > If we can find a way to get costs down we absolutely will make medical devices a first-line treatment for mood disorders. For one definition of "treatment", yes -- symptomatic relief. But not in the general sense.

seehafer 14y ago
> I emphasize this because, to a layman, the word "treatment" implies a method that addresses causes, not effects. This is not the case. By this logic Tylenol is not a treatment for a headache. There are a lot of treatments that are treating symptoms and not causes. Good doctors and nurses will generally point this out to patients when prescribing something.