Feb. 13, 2025 | Psychiatry is the branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. There are a number of specialty areas within psychiatry, from adult and addiction-related therapy to child and adolescent and forensic psychiatry, all of them important and complex when it comes to serving their respective audiences. Traditional treatment for mental health disorders usually begins with psychotherapy, or counseling, and medications. In most cases, these therapies provide relief, but some people still experience severe symptoms or might not be able to take certain medications. Interventional psychiatry relies on advanced procedures that are used when medications and psychotherapy are ineffective in restoring a patient to full mental health. Interventional psychiatry’s therapeutic services are typically used to alleviate symptoms like depression, anxiety and psychosis.

Feb. 13, 2025 | UAMS’ Interventional Psychiatry program was the first in the country to offer the SAINT neuromodulation system in a clinical setting. An innovative means of treating long-term depression, the SAINT system uses magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to pinpoint the optimal anatomical target for precise transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, in individuals with major depression. The targeting process helps identify the location and correct stimulation dosing for each patient. A specialized pattern of magnetic pulses is then delivered to stimulate neurons to rebuild connectivity. The FDA-approved SAINT TMS treatment is performed on an accelerated, five-day timeline, reducing the patient’s treatment time from weeks to days. Treatment with SAINT TMS for severe depression has resulted in a significant reduction in depressive symptoms at four weeks post-treatment following the five-day treatment protocol.

Feb. 13, 2025 | Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is an Interventional Psychiatry form of treatment that uses a very small electric current to treat depression and some other forms of mental illness. ECT is usually performed in a hospital while the patient is under general anesthesia. Electrodes are placed on the patient’s scalp to monitor their brain activity and to administer the electric current. The electric current causes seizure activity in the brain that lasts for less than a minute. The patient receives medication to prevent the seizure from spreading throughout their body. As a result, their hands or feet move only slightly during the procedure. ECT is highly effective in treating severe depression, particularly for people who are experiencing delusions or other psychotic symptoms along with their depression. ECT is considered a safe procedure and has been used to treat patients who are pregnant or are over 65 years old.

Feb. 13, 2025 | Ketamine is a medication that’s delivered through an IV in low doses. First approved by the FDA in 1970 for anesthesia during surgery, ketamine was later found to have rapid-acting antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects. Doctors then started looking into it as a treatment for depression. Ketamine targets different subsets of neurotransmitters in the brain than conventional SSRIs, so patients who haven’t found therapeutic effects with traditional antidepressants may have better luck with ketamine therapy. In intravenous infusion, ketamine is delivered directly into the bloodstream through a small needle placed in a vein in the patient’s arm. The infusion typically takes around 40 minutes to an hour, and the patient will be monitored during the entire procedure. Relief from depression through the use of ketamine can take place rapidly, with some patients beginning to feel the benefits within minutes of receiving the medication.

Feb. 13, 2025 | Esketamine nasal spray is used along with another antidepressant, taken by mouth, to manage treatment-resistant depression, or TRD, which is depression that does not improve with typical forms of treatment. According to Dr. Lou Ann Eads, director of UAMS’ Interventional Psychiatry program, esketamine is in a class of medications called NMDA receptor antagonists. It works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain. Esketamine, which is marketed under the name Spravato, was approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019. Due to the FDA’S concerns for safety, it can only be used under medical supervision with specific restrictions. It is administered under the supervision of a physician and the patient is monitored for a minimal of two hours at the facility before being discharged. Since it is approved by the FDA, Dr. Eads says Spravato is covered by many state and national insurance plans.