Depression is a serious, often debilitating, medical condition affecting more than 17.3 million American adults every year. [1] It can affect every facet of a person’s daily life, from how they sleep and eat to their interactions with other people and may last for months and even years. Research suggests that depression is currently the second leading cause of disability worldwide. [2]  In 2000, the economic burden of depression was estimated at $83.1 billion in the U.S. alone. [3] Each year in the US, over 30,000 people die by suicide, 60% of whom suffer from depression. [4]  Overall, women are almost twice as likely as men to suffer from depression; however, depression in men may be under-reported. [5] Depression can affect anyone; it has no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. About two-thirds of those who experience an episode of depression will have at least one additional episode in their lives. 

The onset of a depressive episode may be triggered by an external factor such as trauma or shock or an internal factor such as stroke. Anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, often describe the mental states of depression sufferers. While the exact cause of depression is not known, the leading scientific theory is that depression is caused by decreased activity in the neural networks of the brain that regulate mood.

Historically most depressive symptoms have been treated with antidepressant drug therapy. However, more than 4 million (estimated) adults in the U.S. do not receive adequate benefit from antidepressants and/or cannot tolerate the side effects caused by them. Serious side effects including weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, nausea and indigestion often occur causing patients to cease using these medications. For these patients, an alternative treatment modality such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can be life saving.