First-generation transcranial magnetic stimulation was developed in the 1990s. Second-generation repetitive transcranial magnetic stimula­tion (rTMS) followed. Revolutionary for the time, rTMS delivers electromagnetic pulses to “rewire” brain circuitry and alleviate symptoms. Magnetic coils are gently placed on a patient’s head and neurons in selected brain regions are stimulated. The traditional appli­cation takes between four and six weeks with multiple treatments per week.

Deirdre had been managing her bipolar depression well with support from her family and psychiatrist. Then one morning she inexplicably awoke with suici­dal thoughts. Deirdre’s psychiatrist reached out to Stanford University, having heard of a revolutionary new treatment method achieving dramatic results against even the most unyielding forms of depres­sion. Nolan Williams, MD, and his research team offered this prom­ising treatment—that modulates brain circuits more precisely than other methods—to Deirdre in hopes of avoiding hospitalization. Incredibly, after one intense day of multiple treatment sessions, the thoughts of suicide relented. She went home, equipped with detailed plans for follow-up care. A year after treatment, she continued to do well.

While every patient’s story and response is unique, this new treatment approach is seeding hope for those who have tried many other options.