"By the time I finished treatment, I could not believe the difference in how I felt.
I can say with confidence that I am not depressed."
“The providers at the TMS Center at Southeastern Psychiatric Associates really made all the difference in making the commitment to undergo TMS. I’ve struggled with depression for all of my adolescent and adult life, and medication after medication, something always failed. Side effects, lack of response, or something that was working just stops working. It’s frustrating to depend on your well being being contingent upon medications.
I was once again at a breaking point when I started to research new methods of treating depression, and came across TMS. I had actually been a patient of Dr. Warstadt‘s for several years already, and was pleasantly surprised to find out he was a provider for this treatment. Finding a mental healthcare professional is TOUGH. Choosing to call someone off of an alphabetical list of names from your insurance company feels like a gamble, and oftentimes is. Dr. Warstadt is thorough, backs his decisions with scientific logic that he is happy to explain in laymen’s terms, and non-judgmental. He has a lot of experience in putting the patient first, before the insurance companies and “red tape” that can get in the way of treating depression. I feel very lucky that I got to undergo TMS treatment with a professional I already trusted.
When I expressed interest in starting TMS, Dr. Warstadt had Sarah, the TMS Program Manager, reach out to me. She took on the daunting task of getting approval from my insurance company. I literally did not have to worry about a thing, and after a couple of weeks she reached out to let me know I was approved to begin treatment. If you are reading this, you likely know that depression and anxiety are in themselves a condition that can prevent a person from getting treatment. This was the case for me in the beginning.
I went in for one mapping session and initially didn’t go back. Nothing about the treatment was unpleasant, not in the least. The treatment itself is the furthest thing from scary or painful. You literally sit there with a little tapping on your head, and Sarah, who administers the treatment, is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. The only reason I stopped going was because I was unsure about making the commitment to go, every single day, for six weeks. A couple of months passed and my mental state ended up being the ultimate persuader. I could not go on the way I was living. I reached out to Sarah to re-start treatment and she didn’t bat an eye. She accommodated my schedule and restarted my treatment for me that same day.
I was in tears and empty inside that first day sitting in the TMS chair. I actually have a picture from that day. It’s crazy to look back on that photo and remember the weight of the inexplicable sadness I felt, the bone crushing feeling of being so broken, and just… not feel that way anymore. It didn’t happen right away. I began to feel better after a week or two, then sort of slipped back down. Sarah and Dr. Warstadt explained that this is not uncommon. l kept coming to treatment. Sarah asked me every day how I was feeling, a simple gesture that went a long way in helping me track how I felt. Dr. Warstadt would stop in once a week to check in as well. By week four I was really starting to feel better. Things weren’t as up and down anymore.
By the time I finished treatment, I could not believe the difference in how I felt. I can say with confidence that I am not depressed. I can take a shower without forcing myself to get up the energy to complete that simple task. I can get through a day of work without running to the bathroom, unable to stop the tears that I just couldn’t hold back. I’m not avoiding people because I’m too sad to talk to them. I truly feel like me again, which I haven’t been able to feel consistently for a long, long time. As long as I can remember, really. And it’s not a new medication making me feel this way, it’s more like my brain went to the gym for a little while and got stronger!
I know the prognosis is very good for people who are responsive to treatment, and that gives me hope. It has been just under a month since I finished treatment and I don’t feel like this is temporary. I am so, so thankful to Sarah, Dr. Warstadt, and the rest of the staff at Southeastern Psychiatric Associates. I have never met a kinder group of people. Debbie at the front desk is so extremely compassionate and helpful. She has unknowingly been a consistent light in my mental health journey. I feel so lucky to have ended up at Southeastern Psych, a little gem in the scary world of mental health, and would recommend this practice to anyone. Mental healthcare is just as much an art as it is a science, and this place truly has it down pat.”
– Mia