Dr. Erkeda DeRouen talks to Dr. Teresa M. Anderson, a private practice psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), postpartum depression, and other mood disorders. Today, Dr. Anderson talks about the innovative therapies that she offers to help her clients with treatment-resistant depression.
- [00:59] Dr. Anderson’s Medical Journey and Background
- [05:11] Ketamine Infusions
- [09:35] PrTMS
- [15:18] A typical day in Dr. Anderson’s life
- [16:34] Psych Waves Podcast
- [18:57] What Dr. Anderson would Change about Healthcare
- [24:02] Dr. Anderson’s Advice to Pre-meds and Medical Student
Innovative Therapies for Treatment-Resistant Depression
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic often used in surgeries. As an antidepressant, it works much faster than oral medication by affecting your neurons. After just one infusion, there is a noticeable reduction in depressive symptoms. Side effects like nausea and headaches are often experienced during the infusion and a few moments after. Patients typically receive 3-6 infusions during 2-3 weeks. Relief is rapid but short lived, and patients may need boosters. Ketamine infusions may be especially helpful in curbing suicide ideation and hospitalization. Probability of addiction to ketamine is low due to the controlled doses.
Personalized repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or PrTMS, is a specific form of TMS. Regular TMS has the same efficacy as medication which is about 30-40%. It is typically administered to the left frontal lobe—the emotional control center of the brain. PrTMS takes things a step further by pairing TMS with an EEG scan to assess a patient’s unique brain pattern. With PrTMS, a magnetic pulse is then directed to the affected brain regions to better stimulate neurons that affect mood. The PrTMS’ personalized approach has been found to be 90% more effective than regular TMS.
Health Insurance for Psychiatric Treatment
Psychiatrists are trained in psychotherapy but are often limited to prescribing medicine due to health insurance constraints. Insurance companies only want to reimburse medication management because psychotherapy can be provided at lower rates by other professionals. In the event that psychotherapy is given, the psychiatrist will need to overcome a lot of red tape only to get partial reimbursement. With the current dynamics in place, psychiatrists are prevented from providing the best care possible to their patients.
Reach out to Dr. Teresa Anderson by sending her an e-mail at admin@andersonclinic.net or giving her a call at (513) 321-1753. To learn more about her clinic’s therapy options, visit www.theandersonclinic.net.
Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Send a message to Dr. Erkeda DeRouen’s Instagram or MedSchoolCoach’s Instagram.
