The mapping of the human brain has led to real changes in mental health care, including new ways of targeting care for depression and anxiety. One method growing in use is called transcranial magnetic stimulation.
The FDA says esketamine, an antidepressant derived from the anesthetic and party drug ketamine, can now be prescribed on its own. It was approved in 2019 to treat severe depression.
Psychedelic drugs were a hot topic at this year's Society for Neuroscience meeting. Researchers hope the drugs can help people with disorders like depression and PTSD.
Ketamine, a Schedule III non-narcotic substance, has been available to licensed prescribers since the 1970s. Since then, multiple studies have shown ketamine helps some depression patients who feel as though they’ve tried everything else.
The remedy is a new type of transcranial magnetic stimulation that's showing good results in just five days of treatment. For some patients, it's life-changing.