For those struggling with depression
Success TMS, a leading provider of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatments, has been making an exciting impact in the United States with their depression treatment centres. The technology gives those suffering with the disease a different route outside overly prescribed medications and uses energy to activate regions of the brain that have seen low activity (which causes the depression). The non-invasive process delivers a magnetic pulse that stimulates nerve cells in the area of the brain involved in mood control and, ultimately, the resulting depression.
Founding partner Jonathan Michel launched Success TMS in the wake of losing his sister to the disease and has dedicated his life to helping others cope with its challenges. Jonathan, along with his partner and friend Randy Syrop, launched Success TMS in Florida as an alternative for treating depression. With 32 offices and more planned around the United States, Success TMS helps treat patients by using a new technology that is also FDA cleared and covered by most insurance providers.
TMS advanced depression therapy has proven to be an ideal alternative to taking daily meds and has quickly become a preferred alternative for their patients who struggle with the disease. Success TMS is now the second largest TMS provider in the United States and has ambitions of scaling outside the country as awareness of the technology grows. In the US, Success TMS covers current patients and potentially millions of others with insurance providers including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Medicare and more. This revolutionary therapy treats symptoms of depression by stimulating the areas of the brain that cause depression. The safe, FDA-approved treatment is drug-free, has no systemic side effects and often proves to be more effective than medication.
We sat down with Jonathan to ask him more about trends in depression and how innovations will help create change for those who need it the most.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Jonathan. Briefly tell us about yourself and Success TMS.
In 2017, my sister Alex committed suicide. We were close and I was involved in her care. She was getting the help she needed – so we thought – but she was not taking her medication and no one knew. She took her life and left me a note, asking me to please help find a cure for depression. I have made it my mission ever since to bring this treatment, Success TMS, out in the open. This treatment had been used before, but was not mainstream. Our plan is to open Success TMS offices in every city in the country and beyond. People have to have options and know that there is hope.
With depression remaining a growing issue around the world, do you feel 2020 was a turning point for better addressing the issue and finding solutions?
Absolutely! The pandemic has been a blessing in disguise when it comes to mental health awareness. So many people experienced the pain during this time. Think about it – when no one knew what was going on, literally everyone experienced anxiety. It often takes a tragedy to wake us up. The tragedy was a pandemic – but it allowed us to learn about mental wellness; and mental illness was no longer taboo. Rich, poor, young and old, we learned that anxiety affects everyone and so does mental illness. The world as a whole was anxious and it lasted for three weeks, when we all really did not know what was happening. Imagine if you had to feel that way your whole life. The pandemic gave us all perspective on what people who struggle with mental illness feel like all the time.
Do you feel internet technology and social media will shift to help instead of hurt those with mental health challenges?
Yes – people aren’t feeling shame around it. But, social media is a big part of the problem. People think that what they see on social media platforms is real. This certainly has hurt our quest in supporting those who struggle with seeing what others are doing, comparing their lives, or feeling left out. Success TMS has used these social media platforms for good – it is an opportunity for us to get in front of so many people, so we advertise on those platforms to try to bust out that thinking.
Pharmaceutical companies, while wanting to help patients, likely want to keep patients on depression medications to meet their bottom line. Is this a primary reason why alternative routes to treatment such as therapy, meditation and now TMS are not as popular? (Yet).
We are not saying that people should not use medication; we are saying that medication plus Success TMS provides a better, more controlled outcome. Medication is used to enhance our treatments. But still, it’s not perfect. The mistake is thinking people should use one or the other. There are many people that are prescribed medication, but they don’t take it properly, or don’t like the side effects. Success TMS may be the answer for people like this.
Tell us more about the first Success TMS location and how you got the company started.
The first location was in Lake Worth Florida; and then we moved to Palm Beach Gardens. We started here, because of the proximity to where we live. It was our first test market and we already had a business in this area, so that was how we chose the first location.
What is the plan for further awareness of TMS so the average person can become aware and comfortable with your process?
We currently have plans to expand into other states and teach people that TMS exists. We are going to continue to build offices across the country and also find people that can help us spread the word.
We would be excited to see your company in South Africa. Any plans for heading overseas in the immediate future?
We don’t have plans to expand outside of the US right now; but soon.
The insurance (medical aid) is the issue. We want to make sure that insurance covers this process so that people can afford it. We have done this in the US – but other countries will take us more time.
What’s next for Success TMS overall?
Just continued growth, spreading awareness and making sure that people know that there is hope for dealing with depression and mental illness.
About Success TMS:
Success TMS was inspired by Alex – a beautiful, vibrant, smart and ambitious woman. Plagued by debilitating depression for over five years, Alex continually sought out new treatments, hoping to find one that would finally defeat her depression. After years of trial and error with therapy, medications, and risky treatments like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), hopelessness finally set in. Feeling as though she had no choices left, Alex gave in to the only solution that guaranteed the relief she was looking for… On 12.7.2017, Alex took her own life.
Before her passing, Alex wrote a letter to her brother Jonathan. In it, she asked Jonathan to do two things: “First, take care of mom and dad. Second, find a cure for this terrible disease and get it out to the people. You are the only one who can.” Jonathan took his sister’s wishes to heart and spent months researching new and different ways to treat depression. Finally, he discovered TMS – a non-invasive and proven solution to battle depression. Jonathan reached out to some of his closest business partners and friends to join him in fulfilling Alex’s last wish. Less than one year after Alex’s death, Success TMS was launched in her honour. Today, Success TMS is one of the largest and fastest-growing TMS providers in the country, having helped thousands of people in their battle with depression.
Learn more about Success TMS and their USA area offices a www.successtms.com
Media Contact: Tammy, Wellness Marketing: tammy@wellnessmarketingltd.com