Newport Beach adults with depression, OCD or anxiety that medication has not resolved can receive psychiatrist-led transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at the BrainHealth Solutions clinic in Costa Mesa, beside John Wayne Airport and about 10 to 20 minutes from most of Newport Beach.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive treatment for major depressive disorder and OCD. A magnetic coil placed against the scalp sends focused pulses into brain regions that are underactive in depression, gradually restoring more normal activity in the circuits that regulate mood. It is usually considered after antidepressants or therapy have not worked, or when side effects made medication hard to live with. BrainHealth Solutions delivers TMS with MagVenture technology, and because the same psychiatrists also offer the accelerated SAINT® protocol and Spravato®, a Newport Beach patient is matched to the option that fits their depression and their calendar, not steered to the only machine in the building.
Brief magnetic pulses pass painlessly through the skull and induce small electrical currents in the targeted cortex. Nothing is implanted, no anesthesia is used, and no medication enters your bloodstream.
Your first treatment visit includes motor-threshold mapping, which finds the stimulation intensity your brain responds to and locates the treatment target. Intensity, frequency and coil position are set for you individually and reused for the rest of the course.
Change builds session by session. A single treatment does not lift depression; a daily course gradually shifts activity in mood circuits, so most patients notice improvement over several weeks rather than several days.
At BrainHealth Solutions, TMS is prescribed and supervised by psychiatrists, not run as a stand-alone device service. Dr. Robert Bota trained in TMS at Harvard University and the University of South Carolina, is a member of the Clinical TMS Society and founded UC Irvine’s first TMS program. Every evaluation and every session takes place at our clinic at 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, on Airway Ave beside John Wayne Airport, which borders Newport Beach. There is no Newport Beach office; for most Newport Beach patients the clinic is about 10 to 20 minutes away, close enough to fit a daily session around a working day.
You give only your name, contact information and a good callback time. The team explains TMS, SAINT® and Spravato® and whether a full evaluation makes sense. If a phone call is hard to fit in, you can text the office first.
A thorough visit covering your history, prior diagnoses and medications, medical background, sleep and goals. Insurance eligibility for TMS is reviewed here, including the two-medication-failure criterion most plans apply.
At the first treatment visit the clinician sets your motor threshold and treatment target. Allow more time for this visit; the settings it produces are used for every session that follows.
Standard TMS runs five days a week for roughly six weeks, then tapers. Most patients keep the same time slot each day so it becomes part of the routine. You are awake, seated in a reclining chair, and you drive yourself back to work or home afterward.
Symptom scales are repeated through the course so you and your psychiatrist can see the trend in numbers. Sessions taper at the end, and the plan for maintenance, medication or therapy is agreed before you finish.
You stay awake and alert throughout. The coil produces a tapping sensation on the scalp and a clicking sound, so earplugs are provided. There is no sedation, no recovery period and nothing that would be noticeable to colleagues when you return to work.
Sessions last about 20 to 40 minutes depending on the protocol, and theta-burst protocols are shorter. The practice’s TMS technician runs every session, so the routine is familiar within the first week.
Newport Beach patients often book the first slot of the morning or a late-afternoon slot so the session sits at the edge of the workday. With the clinic about 10 to 20 minutes from most of Newport Beach, the full visit, including the drive, usually fits inside a long lunch break.
A standard TMS course at BrainHealth Solutions follows the FDA-cleared schedule:
Because TMS has no systemic drug effects, it does not cause the weight gain, sexual side effects or daytime sedation linked to many antidepressants. The side effects that do occur are local to the scalp and usually fade during the first week.
Common and mild
Hearing protection is used in every session because of the clicking sound of the coil.
Rare
Your psychiatrist reviews your full medical history before clearing you for treatment and monitors you through the whole course.
In published studies of standard TMS for treatment-resistant depression, roughly half to two-thirds of patients respond and about a third reach remission, with higher figures reported in naturalistic clinic data. BrainHealth Solutions tracks symptom scales through your course so results are measured, not guessed.
TMS is usually not a one-time cure. It can lift a depressive episode, and the gains are often held with maintenance sessions, a medication adjustment or psychotherapy, all of which the same team provides.
TMS may be a good fit for Newport Beach adults who:
TMS is generally not appropriate for people with certain metal implants in or near the head, a history of seizures, or some neurological conditions. Your evaluation reviews all of these.
Alternatives we offer when TMS is not the fit
For people with demanding schedules, the appeal of TMS is that treatment happens in a short daily visit and leaves the rest of the day untouched. One family wrote that “the TMS protocol was highly effective for my family’s needs,” and a mother said her son “is doing much better now” after his course.
Sessions of 20 to 40 minutes at a clinic about 10 to 20 minutes from most of Newport Beach, with no sedation and no recovery time.
No medication to explain, no side effects that show, and a screening call that asks only for your name, contact information and a callback time.
Medicare and most major insurers cover TMS for depression once two medication trials have failed. The team verifies your benefits before you start.
Motor-threshold mapping and target location are individual, chosen by a psychiatrist with a research background in neuromodulation.
TMS can continue while you stay on medication or in therapy, and many patients later taper medication under supervision.
SAINT® and Spravato® are offered by the same practice, so a slow response does not mean starting over with a new clinic.
Treatment-resistant depression generally means two or more adequate antidepressant trials without enough relief. It is the group TMS was studied in and the group most insurers cover. If six weeks of daily visits will not work with your schedule, ask about SAINT®, which delivers ten sessions a day over five consecutive weekdays at the same Costa Mesa clinic.
At our Costa Mesa clinic, self-pay TMS typically ranges from $200 to $350 per session, depending on the treatment protocol. Insurance can reduce out-of-pocket cost significantly, and many plans cover a large share of a TMS course for depression once their criteria are met. Your plan’s TMS criteria, deductible and authorization process determine the real number, so we give a personal estimate only after reviewing your benefits.
Insurance and financing
BrainHealth Solutions accepts insurance and self-pay. Many major plans are accepted, including Medicare and Anthem, and CareCredit financing spreads self-pay costs over monthly payments. Submit your plan through the insurance-check form on our site, or ask on your 15-minute screening call, and our team confirms what your plan covers before you commit to anything.
Dr. Robert Bota, MD, MSG, DFAPA is a board-certified psychiatrist and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He trained in TMS at Harvard University and the University of South Carolina, founded and directed the first TMS program at UC Irvine, and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Bota has been principal investigator on more than 20 clinical trials in depression, schizophrenia, PTSD and Alzheimer’s disease, and the practice participates in brain-imaging research with Kernel neurotechnology. Treatment plans are informed by that research and reviewed as your symptoms change.
Care at BrainHealth Solutions is delivered by a team that includes psychiatrists Dr. Tina Allee and Dr. Mahtab K. Yousefi (child and adolescent care in English and Farsi), Spravato® specialist Dr. Dragos Serseni, TMS technician Anna Venezio and office manager Peter Bota.
Many plans are accepted, including Medicare and Anthem, and CareCredit financing is available for self-pay. One parent wrote that the team “even helped get insurance coverage when others said it wasn’t possible.” Use the insurance check on our site or ask on your screening call.
No. BrainHealth Solutions has one clinic, at 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, beside John Wayne Airport, which borders Newport Beach. Every evaluation and TMS session for Newport Beach patients takes place there, about 10 to 20 minutes from most of the city.
Most patients do. Sessions run 20 to 40 minutes, the clinic is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and many Newport Beach patients keep a fixed early-morning or late-afternoon slot. If daily visits are not workable, SAINT® condenses treatment into five days.
Only the people you choose to tell. There is no sedation and no visible after-effect, so you can return to work straight from a session, and the screening call asks only for your name, contact information and a callback time.
At our Costa Mesa clinic, self-pay TMS typically ranges from $200 to $350 per session. With insurance, most patients pay a copay or coinsurance. The team verifies your benefits and gives you a personal estimate before the first session.
Non-removable metal in or near the head (such as cochlear implants or aneurysm clips), a history of seizures or epilepsy, and certain neurological conditions are the main exclusions. Dental fillings and braces are fine. Your evaluation covers all of this.
The main trade-offs are time, since a standard course means daily visits for about six weeks, and the fact that not everyone responds. Side effects are usually limited to scalp discomfort and early headaches.
In published studies of treatment-resistant depression, roughly half to two-thirds of patients respond and about a third reach remission. BrainHealth Solutions measures your symptoms through the course so you can see whether it is working for you.
Schedule a private 15-minute screening call and find out whether TMS, SAINT® or Spravato® fits your depression and your schedule.
BrainHealth Solutions, 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 · (949) 441-5542 · Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Same-day appointments may be available. The screening call asks only for your name, contact information and a callback time; there are no long intake forms before you speak with us.
