Brain health & rehabilitation
Depression and mood: finding the next step
When mood symptoms persist, the next step starts with a careful review of the diagnosis and the treatments you have already tried. We coordinate the medical assessment with your existing psychiatric care.
Start with the question that matters to you
A course of medication that did not help, unwanted side effects, or a relapse after improvement can make another treatment decision difficult. A useful review asks what was tried, at what dose, for how long, and what changed. It also considers sleep, physical illness, medication effects and the demands of daily life. The aim is a clearer plan, not a promise that one device will resolve every symptom.
A manageable path through assessment
Review the history
Diagnosis, prior treatment and what you want to change.
Agree the plan
Options, evidence, tolerability and a measurable starting point.
Check the response
Repeat symptom measures and review daily function before deciding whether to continue.
The plan is individual. These stages describe the decision process, not a promised treatment result.
What the assessment needs to establish
- Your current diagnosis and the history of depressive, anxious or unusually elevated mood episodes.
- Previous medication, dose and duration, psychotherapy, benefit and side effects.
- Sleep, physical symptoms and targeted laboratory tests where the history suggests a medical contributor.
- A baseline symptom measure and practical goals such as returning to a routine or managing work.
How a care plan may be built
Psychotherapy and prescribed medication remain important parts of depression care. At the Douwes Brain Center, rTMS and other neuromodulation methods can be assessed as additional options. Method and schedule depend on the diagnosis, previous treatment, contraindications and your ability to attend. A qEEG may be used for a defined clinical question; it does not replace a psychiatric diagnosis or guarantee a treatment response.
Evidence and limits
NICE considers the short-term efficacy evidence for repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in depression adequate, while noting that response varies and some people will not benefit. Questions about longer-term response and maintenance remain relevant. These findings cannot simply be transferred to anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, OCD, autism or ADHD. Those diagnoses need their own specialist assessment and a separate discussion of evidence.
Prepare for a useful conversation
If bipolar disorder, a seizure history, implanted devices or a significant medication change is part of your history, include it in the inquiry. The team must assess suitability before planning stimulation. Do not stop or change psychiatric medication to prepare for a visit unless your prescribing clinician advises it.
The length and cost of assessment depend on your needs. A diagnosis alone does not determine a package. Before making travel arrangements, the team should confirm what is proposed, where it takes place and the planned review point.
Questions before an assessment
Does treatment-resistant depression mean nothing can help?
No. It means previous treatment has not produced an adequate response, and the history needs careful review. The team considers the diagnosis, treatment duration, dose, side effects and other contributors before discussing another option.
Will I need to stop antidepressants before neuromodulation?
Do not change prescribed medication on your own. Your psychiatrist and the treating team should agree any change, including how it affects safety and interpretation of the response.
Can the same stimulation protocol treat anxiety, OCD or bipolar disorder?
These are different diagnoses. Suitability, target, protocol and evidence must be discussed for the specific condition; the evidence for depression is not a blanket endorsement for other uses.
How your care is coordinated
St. George Hospital and the Douwes Brain Center, our outpatient neuromodulation department in Bad Aibling, coordinate the appropriate setting. Your existing specialists remain part of the plan. An inquiry does not commit you to a treatment course or promise an appointment with a particular physician.
Outpatient option
More about outpatient assessment
The Douwes Brain Center is our outpatient neuromodulation department in Bad Aibling. Its condition guides explain the assessment and individual options in more detail.
Send a free inquiry
The initial inquiry is free of charge. The International Office reviews your message and your case directly and gets back to you.
- Phone
- +49 8061 398-0
- Hours
- Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00, Fri 08:00–14:00 German time (CET/CEST); in the US Mon–Thu 2–11 a.m. ET, Fri 2–8 a.m. ET.
Munich Airport (MUC), about 60 minutes by car.