Mindful Health Solutions, Now in Newport Beach Leads the Way in Innovative Psychiatry

In 2020, Mindful Health Solutions, California’s leader in innovative psychiatry services, opened a new office at 4100 Newport Place Drive in Newport Beach. The initial staff included four psychiatrists and a nurse practitioner, and the psychiatric staff has continued to expand. There are now more than 15 Mindful Health Solutions locations throughout the state, and more are planned.

Also in 2020, Mindful Health Solutions adopted a new name. Actually, it’s a return to an old name, the one it originally had when it was founded by Dr. Richard Bermudes in 2007. In recent years, however, the practice was known as TMS Health Solutions, a moniker that emphasized its industry leadership in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), a brain stimulation technique used to treat depression.

The name change reflects the fact that Mindful Health Solutions is much more than a TMS provider. We also are experts in medication management, and we lead the way in new treatments such as Esketamine nasal spray. We are constantly finding ways to add new treatment modalities.

Integrating Medication and Non-Medication Treatments

About 40 percent of depression patients don’t respond to medication-based treatment. Mindful Health Solutions understands that a combination of therapies is often needed to help people who suffer from Treatment-Resistant Depressions (TRD). The word “Mindful” is a very deliberate choice for the first word in our name. It reflects a patient-first mindset. Since the beginning in 2007 we’ve been committed to a focus on the whole patient in everything we do.

It’s not easy to deal with day-to-day life when you struggle with depression and other mental illnesses. Too often patients are reluctant to seek treatment. Every patient who works with Mindful Health Solutions is treated with dignity and respect. We’re convinced that our innovative, patient-centric approach is redefining the outpatient experience in psychiatry.

It’s our goal to help people deal with the difficulties of daily life and experience recovery from their illnesses. We call on a variety of treatments tailored to the patient. We employ a combination of medication and non-medication treatments. This dual approach works best to alleviate suffering for patients and put them on the road to recovery.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

TMS is one of the most effective treatments for depression, and it’s our primary form of treatment for the condition. We’re California’s leading TMS provider. TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate the brain’s nerve cells.

TMS is not necessarily used as a standalone treatment. It’s most effective when combined with antidepressant medication, lifestyle modifications and psychotherapy. It’s not an invasive treatment. Patients can continue with normal activities while undergoing a course of TMS therapy. TMS is FDA-approved.

During treatment, an electromagnet is positioned over precise areas of the brain. Magnetic pulses are transmitted to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The pulses stimulate nerve cells to relieve the symptoms of depression and depolarize superficial cortical neurons.

TMS does not require sedation, and side effects are much less of an issue than with medication. Both TMS and medications work on electrochemical signaling between neurons, but pharmaceuticals circulate through the entire body via the bloodstream while TMS focuses on a small portion of the scalp. It’s rare for a patient to discontinue TMS treatments due to side effects; it happens in fewer than five percent of cases.

A typical course of TMS treatment consists of four to eight weeks of daily treatments, each of which lasts 30 to 60 minutes. Patients can continue normal activities during the process, resuming them immediately after each session.

Clinical depression is not the only condition that can be alleviated with TMS. TMS is also useful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain and some memory-related disorders.

Other Treatments

Mindful Health Services is one of a limited number of clinics certified to administer Esketamine treatments. Esketamine is a prescription nasal spray approved by the FDA. It appears to create new connections in the brain. It’s self-administered with professional supervision, and patients must be observed for about two hours and are not able to drive home. It’s typically administered in about 12 sessions over two months, sometimes with maintenance follow-ups.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly referred to as “shock therapy,” deliberately causes seizures to treat depressions. It’s a more invasive treatment than TMS, but there are cases in which it’s effective. It requires general anesthesia and muscle relaxers, and patients need close post-treatment observation and sufficient recovery time.

Medication management is an important part of the Mindful Health Solutions treatment. Pschyotheraputic drugs can be powerful and effective, but many have side effects. Generally they are best integrated with other forms of therapy.

Where Can I Find a Mindful Health Solutions Psychiatrist Near Me?

If you’re in or near Newport Beach, contact our Newport Place office at (714) 705-6410. Elsewhere in Southern California dial (844) 5843-1033. In Northern California, call (844) 867-8444. Or use our online form to schedule a consultation. Video appointments are available. We accept all major insurance plans.

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