
“At the end of the TMS treatment, I felt like somebody could tell me something, or a new stress could arise, and I could handle it.”
Heather, a vibrant 44-year-old, recounts her enduring love for London, a city she first fell for during a study abroad trip at age 20. But Heather’s life story is also interwoven with a battle against depression, a struggle that began during that very same summer before her London adventure. It was a time when mental health awareness was far less prevalent than it is today. Depression, a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest, affects millions worldwide. In fact, it is estimated that over 264 million people globally suffer from depression.
Heather’s journey began with a concerned friend who noticed something was “off.” This observation prompted Heather, a psychology major at the time, to seek help and start exploring the landscape of her own brain. At the age of 20, Heather began her journey with medication, cycling on and off various treatments for the next two decades. Traditional antidepressant medications, while helpful for some, often take weeks or even months to show any noticeable effects, and even then, many individuals only experience partial relief from their symptoms.
“I’ve always felt like it [medication] has helped me cope. I never felt like anything made me actually feel better.“
Heather’s desire for a more effective solution led her to San Francisco, where a progressive General Practitioner suggested Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as an alternative treatment. However, the TMS psychiatrist at the time wanted to exhaust medication options first, a common practice in the US, where insurance coverage for TMS often necessitates prior trials of multiple medications. Despite this setback, the seed of possibility had been planted.

Years later, after relocating to London, Heather’s depression returned with a vengeance, triggered by an event in her personal life. This time, seeking help from Dr. Mohamed Abdelghani, a psychiatrist specializing in TMS, she embarked on the treatment she had longed for. TMS, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain known to be involved in mood regulation.
Heather underwent a three-week TMS program consisting of two daily sessions. She describes the first week as uneventful, with little noticeable change. Yet, the warmth and encouragement from Dr. Abdelghani’s team helped her through this initial phase.
One of the most significant advantages of TMS over medication is its speed of action. While antidepressants can take weeks to show any effect, TMS often produces noticeable improvements within a matter of days or weeks. This was certainly the case for Heather. By the second week, she started experiencing a remarkable shift. She describes a newfound feeling of lightness, a departure from the constant struggle to simply cope. Heather’s normal, automatic negative responses began to fade, replaced by a sense of calm and an ability to simply “see what happens.”
“And that’s the thing with medication is it takes so long to even tell if it is working. And then really, I’ve always just felt like it has helped me cope. I never felt like anything made me actually feel better. That’s how I would describe the difference between medication and TMS. At the end of the TMS treatment, I felt like somebody could tell me something, or a new stress could arise, and I could handle it. It was noticeable to me, since I knew what my normal response would have been, I would almost automatically respond with, ‘Well, the worst is going to happen. I should prepare for the worst-case scenario.’ To instead respond with, ‘Okay, we’ll see what happens’, that was a completely foreign response for me.'”
This transformation was evident not just to Heather but also to her loved ones, who witnessed a distinct positive change in her.
“My family and my boyfriend at the time would stop and say, ‘That’s a different response, Heather.’ It felt like everyone that was close to my life saw a positive difference at that stage.”
Heather’s story illustrates another compelling aspect of TMS: its ability to target specific brain regions implicated in depression, leading to a more focused and potentially more effective treatment. This precision stands in contrast to the global effects of medications, which can often lead to unwanted side effects. In Heather’s case, the localized treatment allowed her to feel like herself, not medicated or dulled. Heather believes that without TMS, she wouldn’t have been able to navigate the complexities life was presenting at the time while continuing to work and maintain her life. Her experience serves as a testament to the power of TMS.
Heather’s story is a London love story with a twist, a testament to the transformative potential of TMS in the face of life’s challenges. She is now a passionate advocate for TMS, recognizing its ability to provide not just coping mechanisms but genuine healing and a brighter future.
“If they said I need to do this once a year, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
“The worst that happens is that you feel better. I see no negative. You do get side effects with medication, and you might feel nauseous or not feel very great. With TMS there was nothing. I know that you can get headaches and feel tired, but for me it was so minimal – it’s a no-lose situation. I would, and have, recommended it to people because it was so life changing for me.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, consider exploring TMS as a potential treatment option. You are not alone and while TMS doesn’t work for everyone, when it does you can experience relief and improvement in as little as two weeks.