TMS for ages 15 to 21
TMS for adolescents and young adults living with depression.
When depression continues to affect daily life despite ongoing treatment, families may be looking for another option.
What it is
NeuroStar is FDA-cleared as an add-on treatment for major depressive disorder in adolescent patients aged 15 to 21. Add-on means it works alongside therapy and medication, not instead of them. Nobody stops anything to start TMS.
It is non-invasive and non-systemic. No sedation, no anesthesia.
What a session looks like for an adolescent
The same as for an adult: about 19 minutes in a chair, awake, fully clothed, a tapping sensation on the scalp. They can do homework or listen to music. Afterward they go back to school or practice. The full course is 36 sessions: 30 daily sessions over six weeks, then a six-session taper over three weeks.
Your role
Patients under 18 need parental consent. A full clinical evaluation happens first, and you are part of every step: the consultation, the treatment plan, the progress reviews. Nothing gets scheduled without you, and you will be told honestly if your child is not a candidate.
What to ask us
Come to the call with these. If a clinic cannot answer them, keep looking.
- Is my child actually a candidate, and what would rule them out
- What does the daily schedule look like against school hours
- What happens if we are eight sessions in and nothing is changing
- How does this coordinate with their current prescriber and therapist
The commitment, said plainly
Thirty-six sessions is thirty-six trips, five days a week. For a family, that is the hard part, not the treatment. Think about it before you call, and tell us what your afternoons actually look like so we can be honest about whether it is workable.