TMS Clinics

Our transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) clinics further extend inpatient TMS services provided across our portfolio of Australian mental health hospitals.

Our inpatient TMS services were first launched in 2017 to provide an alternative treatment option for our experienced team of psychiatrists to use an inpatient hospital environment for patients with treatment resistant depression. The success and demand for the service has grown significantly; with over a dozen machines spanning our inpatient and outpatient mental health services across our business.

As an extension to this service, Aurora Healthcare has introduced TMS Clinics within the community, for outpatients.

We are uniquely positioned to grow our Australian network of TMS Clinics, supported by our network of over 300 psychiatrists attached to our hospitals, and a proven track record of strong clinical governance, patient outcomes and referrer confidence.

Locate an Aurora Healthcare TMS Clinic

Currently, our TMS Clinics are situated at the following hospitals. Click through to visit their TMS Clinic page for more information.

TMS clinic process

The following are the steps and processes to receive treatments at our TMS clinics. Contact our TMS Clinics for any further information on the links above.

Fee for service

Our TMS fee for service option which allows patients to receive TMS as an outpatient with minimal disruption to lifestyle.

Referral

A referral from a general practitioner or psychiatrist is required, for TMS treatment as an outpatient.

Pre-admission assessment

The admission assessment co-ordinator will conduct a pre-admission assessment to determine suitability based on clinical inclusion criteria and financial assessment is undertaken. Allocation of a psychiatrist credentialed to a Healthe Care Specialty Australia hospital is then made and an outpatient appointment is arranged.

Session 1 – initial TMS assessment

A one hour initial assessment consultation with a psychiatrist to determine your suitability for TMS is arranged. Pre-treatment screening, baseline outcome measurements and patient consent will also be obtained. Once assessed as a suitable candidate for outpatient TMS, the patient is listed and booked for TMS and notified of hte resting motor threshold (RMT) appointment.

Session 2 – resting motor threshold

A resting motor threshold is conducted by a psychiatrist with specialised training in TMS, which acts as the prescription for the basis of the treatment.

Acute course

The patient is booked for an acute course of TMS commencing with 20 treatments. Treatment is be administered 5 days a week. Ongoing reviews with the treating/prescribing psychiatrist can be booked via the psychiatrist's private practice.

Evaluation of treatment outcomes

In order to evaluate the outcomes of TMS treatment, patients complete questionnaires on their mental state at the beginning of (pre) treatment and again after two weeks (mid), four weeks (end), and then finally two weeks following completion of (post) treatment that is around 6 weeks after commencing TMS treatment. The tools we use are internationally recognised so that we can benchmark the information and continue to improve our treatments.

RTMS FAQs

What is TMS?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. It is typically used when other depression treatments haven’t been effective.

TMS involves stimulation of an area of the brain using a pulsing magnet placed on the scalp. The magnet is designed to give a focused beam of magnetic energy inducing small electrical currents with the aim of altering brain function for therapeutic purposes.

TMS works by changing the brain electrical activity and the brain chemicals that are involved in controlling mood.

Why is TMS used?

Depression is a treatable condition. But for some people, standard treatments aren’t effective. TMS is typically used when standard treatments such as medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy) are not effective. It may be an appropriate treatment option for adult patients with treatment resistant major depression, who have failed to achieve a satisfactory response from prior trials of antidepressant medications (defined as “treatment resistant depression”).

The aim of TMS treatment is to lift mood. With an improvement in mood there is often an associated improvement in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration and a decrease in negative thoughts. TMS is an acute treatment for depression that requires ongoing treatment to maintain remission.

How does it work?

TMS treatment is a non-invasive treatment based on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, which delivers magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in the part of the brain controlling mood, which is often underactive in patients with depression.

The brain is an organ that functions through complex electrochemical processes, which may be impaired by certain types of mental illness. Scientists believe TMS acts by temporarily altering some of these processes, thereby returning function to normal.

TMS treatment delivers magnetic fields via a coil that is applied to one side of the patient’s scalp, generally above the left side of the head (above the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex). Repeated stimulation of this part of the brain has been proven to produce an antidepressant-like effect on people suffering from depression.

The magnetic field produces tiny electrical currents which then go on to activate cells within the brain, which (as believed) release neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain), which do play an important role/function in mood regulation.

Since depression is believed to be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters/chemicals in the brain, TMS treatment helps restore the balance of these chemicals in the brain and goes on to relieve the symptoms of depression.