A non-invasive therapy for treatment-resistant depression and other mood disorders for Canadian Armed Forces and first responders is available in Surrey.

The treatment and clinical trial is offered in partnership with Brainstim Health to eligible individuals at the Centre for Clinical Excellence for Veterans and First Responders Health at the Legion Veterans Village in Whalley. 

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive therapy that helps "rewire your brain," said Richard Pucci, chief operating officer of Brainstim Health.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation was approved by Health Canada in 2013 for treatment-resistant depression for clients who have "failed at least one anti-depressant."  TMS has been used to help treat several neurological and psychiatric conditions. 

 noted that TMS "involves a series of short magnetic pulses directed to the brain to stimulate nerve cells."

Researchers are currently studying the "use of repetitive TMS pulses (rTMS)" as a treatment option for some psychiatric conditions and mood disorders.  

Clinical trials, including the one in Surrey, are ongoing to study the benefits of rTMS. The "rapidly changing magnetic pulses cause neurons to change their firing pattern within the brain. By changing the firing pattern of neurons in brain circuits involved in a disorder such as depression, the dysfunctional brain patterns can change," notes CAMH. 

The Surrey clinical trials will explore the effectiveness of rTMS therapy for veterans with complex health needs and how it reduces chronic pain, PTSD symptoms and concussion-related symptoms. 

"It helps rewire the brain by sending these pulses of magnetization into the brain. It's very similar to what all these psychotropic drugs do to people's minds," Pucci said. 

Pucci said that the MagStim rTMS Horizon 3 machine was operational in time for Remembrance Week 2024. 

"The machine is like putting a baseball cap on your head," he said. "And each protocol differs depending upon the patient's requirements." Most sessions are about 20 minutes long. 

Patients often "notice a difference" by the end of the first week of treatment, Pucci said.

"If you've been diagnosed with (treatment-resistant) depression associated with PTSD, you can go for a psychiatric referral, and then you can gain access to the treatment," Pucci said. 

Veterans Affairs currently approves up to 90 sessions per year for eligible individuals with treatment-resident depression who have failed at least two anti-depressants. 

, "rTMS will not be authorized to treat PTSD, anxiety disorders, other specified trauma and stressor- related disorder or unspecified trauma and stressor -related disorder unless a depressive disorder is also present. 

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(Editor's note: This story has been updated since its first publication with more current information.)