COLUMBUS, Ohio — When dealing with depression, everyday tasks can be a struggle. Sometimes, even getting out of bed is an accomplishment. 

What You Need To Know

  • After having depression for more than 20 years, Eric Clark received TMS treatment and no longer feels depressed

  • TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, is a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain

  • Ever since Eric Clark finished his TMS treatment, he fulfilled his lifelong goal of traveling the country in a RV with his wife and dog

Eric Clark knows first hand. He struggled with depression for most of his life.  

“I’ve been dealing with mental health illness, like depression, since I was 14. About five years ago, I kind of was in a low place and I started seeking treatment,” said Clark.

For years, he tried different treatments and medications until he found something that worked. Not medication, but magnets. 

“All of these different treatments, plus the medications that I was trying, weren’t working. And my wife, her coworker, had the TMS therapy done, and it really helped her. So when she told us about it, my wife and I started looking into it,” said Clark.

TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation. It’s a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. Tracy Coats is a mental health professional in Chillicothe. She did not treat Clark for his depression but uses TMS to treat others. She said TMS is more responsive than medications.

“For those patients who at least fail two of the medication trials, TMS is a really great option and those rates of response are actually higher than the medication,” said Coats. 

Clark is now fulfilling his lifelong dream of traveling the country with his wife and dog in a RV. 

“Growing up, we always would go on vacation to like North Carolina or Florida. My dad would always drive. So I always loved being in the car, traveling, especially to go on vacation. It was just exciting,” Clark said.

That dream has become therapeutic as well. 

“Being in nature, something about it is really healing. I don’t know if it’s just like the peace and quiet, which kind of allows my mind to not, you know, be racing with thoughts like it is a lot of the times. But there’s just something about being in nature that’s really healing,” said Clark.

Although he credits most of his progress to the TMS treatment, he had to learn to change his mindset. He began writing in a gratitude journal, and listening to audio books. 

“I think, trying to change my mindset while I was doing TMS was a big factor in why I started healing. It wasn’t simply the TMS; it was also the work that I was doing to try to change my outlook and attitude,” said Clark.