For many people living with depression, anxiety or OCD, the journey to feeling well can stretch on for years, a long process of trying one medication after another, hoping the next one will finally be the answer. But there is a treatment that far fewer people have heard of, one that works differently to medication and is helping patients across the UK reclaim their lives. It is called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, or TMS.
In a recent episode of the Modern Mindset podcast, host Rory McGowan spoke with Katie, who was diagnosed with bipolar type two disorder in 2014, and Dr Nikila Deshpande, Consultant Psychiatrist and founder of Tranquil TMS. Together they shared an honest, hopeful conversation about living with mental illness, the reality of long-term medication, and how non-invasive TMS therapy is changing what recovery can look like.
Katie’s story: nine years of searching for the right answer
Katie first became unwell at the beginning of 2013. She was in a demanding job with two young children when her mental health began to deteriorate — three months of clinical depression, followed by three months of feeling unusually energetic and sociable, a pattern that repeated itself. By September 2014, after already trying several medications that weren’t working well, she was diagnosed with bipolar type two. That same year, she lost her job because of her health.
Over the next nine years, medication helped to a degree. Her lifestyle improved and she could enjoy stretches of six to eight weeks of feeling well — but they were still punctuated by periods where she couldn’t get out of bed, let alone leave the house. As a parent of two young children, those weeks were especially hard.
In the autumn of 2023, Katie experienced a crisis. She and her psychiatrist, who had supported her throughout, agreed it was time to look for something new. Local NHS alternatives weren’t suitable and would have meant a long wait, so they turned to TMS. Of the options available, Tranquil TMS was both the nearest clinic and, in Katie’s words, the one with the best reputation and the clearest information about what treatment involved.
“After the initial treatment, my life has revolutionised. I feel like I’m living my normal life now.” — Katie
After a four-week course of treatment over the winter of 2023–24, Katie describes a genuine turning point. She has since returned to permanent work, is more present as a parent, and has rebuilt her personal life. She continues to have occasional “top-up” sessions to maintain her stability — something she compares to seeing a physiotherapist to keep a recovered back in good shape.
Why it can take years to find the right treatment
Katie’s experience of spending the best part of a decade searching for the right treatment will resonate with many people. Her advice to others is grounded and practical. Taking medication consistently matters, she says — a point echoed by every psychiatrist she has worked with. Many people feel better and stop taking their medication, only to relapse.
She recalls something her first psychiatrist told her back in 2014: if you had a heart condition or diabetes, you would take your medication without a second thought. Mental illness deserves that same seriousness. Even alongside her TMS treatment, Katie remains on some medication, and a good practitioner will carefully adjust, or “titrate”, that medication over time to find what works.
What is TMS therapy, and how does it work?
Dr Nikila Deshpande, who founded Tranquil TMS in 2018, explains that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation — also known as TMS or rTMS — is a non-invasive and safe treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate underactive areas of the brain. It has minimal side effects.
In simple terms, TMS helps the brain start working properly again. In depression, brain signalling is poor, and TMS helps to improve it. In anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, brain signalling is excessive, and TMS helps to reduce it. Because it works at the root of the problem, Dr Deshpande explains, patients often improve relatively quickly. The treatment helps re-establish connections in the brain’s neural pathways and supports the correction of chemical imbalances.
When Dr Deshpande opened her clinic in 2018, it was the first of its kind in the whole of the North West. She was motivated by a simple observation: medications are valuable, but they are not a cure for everyone with anxiety, depression or OCD — and at the time there were no TMS services in the region. TMS is now becoming more widely available across the country.
Who is TMS therapy for?
According to Dr Deshpande, TMS is suitable for the majority of patients, and she describes three main groups who may benefit:
- People who would rather not take medication — sometimes called “drug-naïve” patients — but who are still living with anxiety, OCD or depression.
- People like Katie, who have tried numerous medications with little or no lasting success.
- People currently taking medication but experiencing significant side effects such as feeling numb, drowsiness, metabolic changes or weight gain.
At Tranquil TMS, patients are treated from the age of 16 upwards, and the clinic has helped many people over 70 — the oldest being 94. In terms of the conditions it can help, TMS is used for all types of depression, including bipolar depression and depression associated with ADHD or autism, as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders including panic disorder.
The main reasons someone might not be suitable are limited: chiefly the presence of metal in the head or neck, or poorly controlled epilepsy. Most other conditions can be treated.
What does treatment actually feel like?
Both Katie and Dr Deshpande stress how gentle the experience is. Katie describes it as feeling like “tiny little tapping on the side of your head.” There is a target area for depression and a separate one for anxiety; because bipolar disorder involves both, Katie had both areas treated, though many patients would only need one.
Crucially, TMS does not require you to step away from daily life. After the first few days, Katie was able to have her treatment and drive herself home to Sheffield afterwards. She contrasts this with other options such as ECT or certain clinical trials, which can involve more significant side effects and long periods away from a normal routine. Today, when she has an occasional top-up session, she can simply return to her usual routine the next day.
“It’s even easier than taking medication. Non-invasive — I cannot stress that enough.” — Katie
How effective is TMS?
Dr Deshpande is careful to set honest expectations. Like any treatment in medicine, TMS will not work for everyone. However, the success rate is high. In a study carried out at her own clinic, the success rate was between 66% and 76% — broadly in line with international research, and high compared with antidepressant medication. She is clear, though, that this still means some patients may not improve.
As host Rory McGowan reflected during the conversation, the honest message is that there is no single miracle cure. What matters is having more good options available, and being willing to keep working with the right professionals until you find what works for you.
The future of TMS therapy
Dr Deshpande’s hope is that TMS becomes accessible to everyone, everywhere — not just across the UK but worldwide — given how safe and non-invasive it is. In an ideal world, she suggests, it could even be considered a first-line treatment. At the same time, she is emphatic that no one should stop taking their medication without proper medical guidance. Everyone’s journey and condition is different, and medication continues to have an important place in psychiatry.
For Katie, the future looks “very much brighter than it did ten years ago.” She plans to continue with occasional top-up treatments to maintain her stability, keep working, and enjoy the things that matter to her.
Where to find out more
If this story resonates with you or someone you love, the most important step is to speak to a professional. As Dr Deshpande advises, two reliable sources of further information are the Tranquil TMS website, which features real patient testimonials, videos and reading material, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), where you can find randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses in the field of TMS.
To learn more about TMS therapy at Tranquil TMS, or to book a consultation, visit www.tranquiltms.co.uk/contact
Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is based on a personal patient account shared on the Modern Mindset podcast. It is not medical advice and does not guarantee any particular outcome. TMS therapy is a medical treatment and its results vary from person to person; it may not be suitable for everyone. Please do not start, stop or change any medication or treatment without the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. If you are struggling with your mental health, please speak to your GP or a mental health professional. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency services or the Samaritans on 116 123
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