SAINT® Depression Therapy
for Newport Beach, CA Patients
For Newport Beach adults with treatment-resistant depression who cannot set aside six weeks for daily TMS, BrainHealth Solutions delivers the five-day SAINT® protocol at its Costa Mesa clinic beside John Wayne Airport, under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Robert Bota.
What Is SAINT® Depression Therapy?
SAINT® (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) is an FDA-cleared, accelerated form of TMS for treatment-resistant depression. It compresses treatment into five consecutive days: ten short theta-burst sessions a day, aimed at a target computed from your own functional MRI. BrainHealth Solutions delivers it with the Magnus Medical Neuromodulation System and is one of a small number of Southern California practices offering the protocol. For a Newport Beach professional or business owner, the practical difference is simple: one planned week replaces about thirty separate appointments.
How SAINT® Works
A functional MRI maps the connection between your dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the subgenual cingulate, a circuit strongly implicated in depression. An algorithm selects the point where stimulation is expected to work best, so the target is specific to your brain.
Each session is about 10 minutes of intermittent theta-burst stimulation, repeated ten times a day with roughly 50-minute breaks. That spacing is deliberate: it is what allows one day of SAINT® to deliver the work of weeks of conventional TMS.
Because the full dose is given in five days, many patients notice change during the treatment week itself. Dr. Bota's team scores your symptoms every day, so you see the trajectory as it develops.
One Planned Week, Minutes From Newport Beach
SAINT® needs a dedicated treatment suite, the Magnus system and a full-day schedule, so BrainHealth Solutions delivers it at its only clinic, 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, on Airway Ave beside John Wayne Airport. There is no Newport Beach office, but for most Newport Beach patients the clinic is about 10 to 20 minutes away, which means you sleep in your own home every night of the treatment week instead of booking a hotel. The screening call, psychiatric evaluation, fMRI planning and all five treatment days happen at the same address.
The SAINT® Treatment Process
15-minute screening call
Share your name, contact information and a callback time. The team reviews your treatment history, since SAINT® is for depression that has not improved after prior treatment, and walks you through the five-day schedule.
Psychiatric evaluation in Costa Mesa
A full evaluation covering diagnoses, medication trials, medical history and TMS safety screening. Insurance review and any authorization begin at this visit.
Functional MRI brain mapping
You complete a short fMRI scan. The Magnus algorithm uses it to compute your individual stimulation target, which is loaded into the neuronavigation system before your first treatment day.
Five consecutive treatment days
Ten theta-burst sessions a day, each about 10 minutes, with breaks between. You are awake throughout; patients read, rest or handle light work between sessions.
Follow-up and maintenance plan
Symptom scales are repeated after the treatment week and at follow-up visits. If needed, your psychiatrist plans medication management, psychotherapy or maintenance sessions so the response holds.
What to Expect
Each treatment day runs most of the business day because of the spacing between sessions, so plan the week the way you would plan a short leave from work: five weekdays at the clinic, with evenings at home in Newport Beach.
The stimulation feels like a brisk tapping on the scalp for about 10 minutes at a time. There is no sedation, so you can drive yourself each morning and evening, and many patients bring a laptop or a book for the breaks.
Your care team scores depression symptoms daily. Many patients report a change in mood within the week; others improve over the following two to four weeks as the effect consolidates.
Session
Duration
The SAINT® schedule is fixed by the protocol:
- fMRI mapping: one visit before treatment begins
- Each session: about 10 minutes of stimulation
- Sessions per day: 10, spaced about 50 minutes apart
- Treatment course: 5 consecutive weekdays, home each night
Potential Side Effects
SAINT® uses the same magnetic stimulation as standard TMS, and its safety profile in published trials is similar despite the higher daily dose.
Common and mild
- Scalp discomfort under the coil during stimulation
- Headache during the treatment week, usually eased by over-the-counter pain relievers
- Tiredness by the end of a full treatment day
- Facial muscle twitching during sessions
Hearing protection is used in every session.
Rare
- Seizure, a rare risk of any TMS; the evaluation screens for seizure history, head injury and metal implants
- Mania or hypomania in people with bipolar disorder, which is screened for in advance
Dr. Bota’s team monitors you across all five days and adjusts intensity if scalp discomfort becomes significant.
Treatment Effectiveness & Results
In the Stanford randomized trial that led to clearance, about 79% of participants with treatment-resistant depression reached remission with active SAINT®, compared with 13% on sham. These are trial results, not a promise for any individual patient.
How long the benefit lasts varies. Some patients hold remission for months; others need maintenance TMS, a medication adjustment or psychotherapy. BrainHealth Solutions sets that follow-up plan during the treatment week, not after symptoms return.
Is SAINT® Right for You?
SAINT® may suit Newport Beach adults who:
- Have major depression that has not improved after multiple medication trials or standard TMS
- Can clear one week but not six weeks of daily appointments
- Need faster relief, including when depression is severe
- Have no metal implants near the head and no history of seizures
SAINT® is not appropriate for everyone with depression. Your treatment history, the safety screening and the fMRI all determine eligibility, and the evaluation settles that before any treatment days are booked.
Alternatives we offer when SAINT is not the fit
- Standard TMS therapy for depression and OCD
- Spravato® (esketamine) for treatment-resistant depression
- Medication management and psychotherapy with the same team
Benefits of SAINT® for Newport Beach Patients
People who have spent years on medications that only partly helped tend to value two things about SAINT®: speed, and a schedule they can plan around. One family wrote that Dr. Bota “took time to listen, answer questions, and personalize treatment, and the TMS protocol was highly effective.”
One week instead of six
About 30 daily visits become a single planned treatment week, which is easier to arrange around work, travel and family commitments.
Home every night
With the clinic about 10 to 20 minutes from most of Newport Beach, there is no need to stay away from home during the treatment week.
fMRI-guided targeting
Your target is computed from your own brain connectivity, not a scalp measurement, using the Magnus Medical system.
Rapid onset
Many participants in the Stanford trials improved within days, and daily symptom scoring lets you see the change as it happens.
No sedation, no drug side effects
You drive yourself each day and take no new medication, so there is nothing to taper afterward.
A full practice behind it
If depression returns, you are already a patient of a team that offers standard TMS, Spravato®, medication management and psychotherapy.
For Severe and Treatment-Resistant Depression
SAINT® was designed and tested specifically for treatment-resistant depression, and its speed matters when depression is severe and another six weeks of waiting is not acceptable. If you have been told to “give the medication more time” after several failed trials, a screening call is the quickest way to learn whether you qualify.
Cost of SAINT® Depression Therapy for
Newport Beach Patients
At our Costa Mesa clinic, the full SAINT® course typically ranges from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on your individual treatment plan and the number of sessions required. Many insurance plans, including Medicare, can cover SAINT® for qualifying patients, but coverage is plan-specific and often requires documentation of prior treatment failures. CareCredit financing is available, and we confirm what your plan covers before you commit.
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.
Why Patients Trust BrainHealth Solutions
A psychiatrist who built UC Irvine's first TMS program
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.
Research-driven care, not a franchise protocol
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.
A clinical team, not a single provider
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.
Insurance help that patients talk about
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SAINT® available in Newport Beach?
BrainHealth Solutions does not have a Newport Beach office. SAINT® is delivered at our clinic at 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, beside John Wayne Airport, about 10 to 20 minutes from most of Newport Beach, where the Magnus system and treatment suite are located.
Do I need to stay near the clinic during the treatment week?
Most Newport Beach patients do not. Treatment runs most of the day for five consecutive weekdays, and because the clinic is close, you can drive in each morning and sleep at home each night.
How do I plan work around a SAINT® week?
Treat it like a short leave: the treatment days fill most of the business day, Monday to Friday. Some patients handle light work between sessions. The team gives you the full schedule in advance so you can plan around it.
What is the SAINT® protocol for treating depression?
It is an FDA-cleared accelerated TMS protocol developed at Stanford: ten theta-burst sessions a day for five consecutive days, aimed at a target computed from your functional MRI. In the Stanford randomized trial, about 79% of participants reached remission versus 13% on sham.
What are the pros and cons of SAINT® compared with standard TMS?
The advantages are speed, fMRI-guided targeting and a one-week schedule. The trade-offs are that each treatment day is long, the fMRI is an extra step, and not everyone qualifies. BrainHealth Solutions offers both, so the screening call helps decide which fits.
Is TMS therapy good for bipolar disorder?
SAINT® is cleared for treatment-resistant major depression. Because stimulation can trigger mania or hypomania in some people with bipolar disorder, your psychiatrist screens for it at evaluation and decides whether, and how, TMS can be used safely.
Can I stay on my medication during SAINT®?
In most cases, yes. Any medication changes are made by your psychiatrist as part of the overall plan, not as a condition of treatment.
Take the First Step Toward Relief
Schedule a 15-minute screening call to find out whether five days of SAINT®, close to home, is the right next step for your depression.
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.
