Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Tired of Medication Side Effects? Discover TMS: A Drug-Free Option for Teen Depression, OCD, & Autism
15 Plays11 hours ago
Is there a drug-free alternative to ADHD, depression, and OCD medication for my teenager?
In this episode of The Positively Healthy Mom, we sit down with Kelley Jensen, a dedicated brain health advocate, co-host of the Refrigerator Moms podcast, and representative of Brain Performance Technologies.
This episode delves into the cutting-edge worlds of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT)—offering a literal lifeline to moms of neurodivergent teens and young adults who are tired of managing severe medication side effects or dealing with treatment-resistant conditions.
Key Conversations in This Episode:
- Why so many neurodivergent youth experience severe side effects or zero progress from traditional antidepressants and stimulants, and how neuro-modulation offers a non-invasive reset.
- Real-world insights into how targeting specific brain regions can dramatically improve sleep, regulate circadian rhythms, reduce intrusive thoughts, and unlock "autistic joy."
- Demystifying the in-office experience for highly sensitive or anxious teenagers and children so parents can feel confident exploring this safe, drug-free therapy.
- The core differences between TMS and MeRT
Questions Moms Of Teens Are Asking And This Episode is Answering:
Question: My teen has tried multiple medications for depression and OCD, but nothing is working. Is it safe to try something like brain stimulation?
Answer: Yes. Standard TMS is fully FDA-cleared for Major Depressive Disorder and OCD. Because it is completely non-invasive and requires no anesthesia or sedation, it avoids the systemic, exhausting side effects (like emotional blunting, weight changes, or sleep disruptions) common with heavy psychiatric "medication cocktails."
Question: How can MeRT therapy specifically help an autistic teenager who struggles with anxiety and poor sleep?
Answer: MeRT doesn't try to "cure" autism; instead, it uses a personalized brain map to locate areas of neurological dysregulation. By delivering targeted magnetic pulses to optimize alpha waves, it helps smooth out the nervous system, which naturally improves sleep quality, balances circadian rhythms, and makes daily anxiety much more manageable.
Meet Our Expert:
Kelley Jensen is an expert in interventional psychiatry solutions and a prominent voice at Brain Performance Technologies. As a co-host of the popular Refrigerator Moms podcast, she dedicates her time to helping families navigate neurodiversity, shedding light on evidence-based, drug-free alternatives that significantly improve quality of life for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
Connect With Your Host, Laura Ollinger
- Join The upcoming FREE Webinar: How To Go Back To School Without Freaking Out (for Teens)
- Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching
- Rate this podcast! If this episode gave you a glimmer of hope or a new path forward for your family, please take 60 seconds to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired, searching moms find our community!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to TMS for ADHD and Comorbidities
00:00:00
Speaker
People do treatment, do TMS for ADHD. It's not, i as I said, it's not covered by insurance unless you have a comorbidity that, you know, would would qualify you for coverage, which a lot of people probably do.
00:00:13
Speaker
But it is effective. It is effective in in managing symptoms of ADHD. And if you have a child that is struggling with ADHD, I would encourage you to look into it particularly if you're not happy with the the medication, the way the the the dosage of medications is going, out or if you're starting to have conversations about upping the dose or adding a second pill, maybe try this before you add a second pill.
Kelly Jensen's Story: TMS for Autism and OCD
00:00:37
Speaker
Hello, and welcome to The Positively Healthy Mom. I'm your host, Laura Ollinger, teen and young adult well-being coach, and I'm very excited to introduce you to my guest today. Kelly Jensen is with Brain Performance Technologies, and her journey began when she was exploring treatment options for her son with autism and found something that most people have never heard of, non-invasive brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation, otherwise known as TMS. So, Kelly, welcome to the show.
00:01:04
Speaker
Thank you for having me. It's pleasure to be here. Absolutely. So yeah, why don't you walk us through your story and and and tell us like a little bit more about how you got this treatment for your son. Yes, thank you. So i have a 20, he's 26 now, but at the time when I first discovered TMS, he was 22. He is, my son is severely autistic, um but he also has OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder.
00:01:29
Speaker
I'm sure in your practice, you know that comorbidities run deep in some of these psychiatric conditions. His was a OCD. And, you know, it ticked up and down throughout his life with the rigidity of autism and with anxieties. And he was 22 and aged out of the school system. I had sent him to a residential school in Massachusetts. I'm in California. So was in Massachusetts. So it was quite far.
00:01:52
Speaker
And he he did great until about six months in. And then he just got two homesick. He had to come home. And so But that was conflicting for him. wanted to come home, but he was also really sad to come home because it was the first bit independence he had had. And, you know, there's not a lot of opportunities for independence for a severely autistic person. So all of this anxiety and all of this rigidity was manifesting in obsessive compulsive disorder.
00:02:19
Speaker
And particularly hoarding, he was developing a hoarding problem where he just could not leave the house without stuff. First, he needed books. Then he needed books and puzzles. Then he needed books, puzzles, toys. Then he needed books, puzzles, toys, pens. And then he needed books, toys, puzzles, pens, clothes. And it was getting worse and worse. And we were talking to just to go to the grocery store.
00:02:38
Speaker
And then he would get in the grocery store and he couldn't pick one or two things. He tried to fill the cart and he had a really bad meltdown in a grocery store one day. over just not being able to choose three things. And I was desperate to help him. And he was on all of the classic medication cocktail that they give autistic people. And none of it was working. And I was very frustrated. So I said, forget about autism. What about OCD?
00:03:03
Speaker
what What treatments are available for OCD? And I learned that transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS, it's abbreviated to, is FDA cleared for
Understanding TMS and MERT
00:03:11
Speaker
OCD. And I said, well, what's that? I've never heard of that. Can autistic people do TMS? Of course they can. Is there any providers in my area that are familiar with autistic people?
00:03:21
Speaker
Because, you know, it's it's a magnetic pulse that's delivered to the scalp with a big... I mean, a big magnet. And I thought, well, somebody has got to really know about an autistic person to be able to, you know, keep them calm enough to do that. And found out that there's a version of transcranial magnetic stimulation called MERT, Magnetic E Resonance Therapy. And it's really just a personalized version of TMS. And there was one provider in my area that was doing it. And I wanted him because I wanted somebody that understood our autistic brain.
00:03:53
Speaker
And so that's what happened. I said, I'm trying this. We're doing this. it's The treatment TMS is every day for 30 to 36 sessions. So you go five days a week for about six weeks. And each session lasts about 20 minutes. And we did it and it was amazing. He got such relief from his OCD. And then he started talking more, which was not why we didn't. It was just a consequence. It was just, you know, that was not really, i would have never done it for that at 22 years old, but it really was amazing to see him articulating himself more to see him.
00:04:31
Speaker
strive to find words and and have them be accessible i think maybe just because he was so much less anxious right right that's what i was thinking yeah yeah so he yeah he was able to process language and then get the feedback and payback from language so then language started becoming his go-to and he didn't wasn't concerned about syntax or grammar or how to say things correctly he just wanted me to get his point across he wanted me to know how he was feeling or what he needed and it was awesome So that was it. I was hooked. I said, I have to tell the mothers about
FDA Clearance and TMS Protocols
00:05:00
Speaker
this. it was We were talking before the podcast and I was telling you, I was incredibly upset that I had taken him so many psychiatrists over the years and none of them had ever told me about it. i i but play I don't ever want another mother not to know about this. Maybe not right for you, but it's another tool in the arsenal of intervention, and you should at least be told about it. Right, right.
00:05:22
Speaker
Well, I'm so glad you're getting the word out. And I, you know, it immediately, when it came to my in you my inbox, that email um from your team, just, they were slashing lights around it because I agree. Like, I i personally have taken, like I mentioned earlier, a continuing education course. worse from a psychiatrist and learned all about it. um But I don't think the average person knows what it is, what it treats, how it works. So um why don't you walk us through that? Because I know you're really great at putting this in like really simple language so that, you know, the average person can understand. i have, since ah being on this journey, I have listened to all of the psychiatrists and neuroscientists and you know neurologists that talk about this stuff every day.
00:06:02
Speaker
And I probably the the the best layman's explanation I heard a neurologist give was think of your phone as your brain and think of the magnet as a phone charger.
00:06:13
Speaker
So it stimulates neurons in the brain the way your phone is being stimulated when it is you know, on the yeah charging station. um And it's really that simple. in a layman's perspective. Now, I encourage everybody to geek out and go, you know, read the science behind it, but it is known intervention. It is FDA cleared for depression, anxious depression, OCD, which is how I found it, smoking cessation, believe it or not, and migraines. The condition that enjoys the most insurance coverage is depression. Depression in the 15 and up that have failed to make progress on other medications. But the other indications are FDA clear. They're just harder to come by insurance because they have been branded not the standard of care, and they're not the standard of care because they're not prescribed. Not that they're not effective. They're just not prescribed. And even TMS itself is only prescribed by a very small amount of doctors and psychiatrists. And it's anybody's guess as to why, would imagine, just because they haven't heard of it, maybe. I don't know. But it's not an alternative medicine. It sitting right in your health plan for those conditions. And it is used off-label by people in the know all the time.
00:07:26
Speaker
In our clinic, we offer different protocols. So there's different ways that you can use the magnet. There's there's um the the traditional way, which is a you know one specific pulse in one specific spot on the ah scalp.
00:07:40
Speaker
There is accelerated protocols and there are personalized protocols. The one that I did for my son is personalized protocol called MERT. And MERT just received FDA clearance for PTSD. So MERT for PTSD is going to be the first new FDA cleared medical treatment for um PTSD in over 25 years. And as right now, well, no, it is now, but as of two months ago, the only two things cleared for PTSD were medications, two different SSRIs. So exciting time. um I have a paper all about it because I'm all about research, right? And I'm happy to send this to you and and share it with anybody that's listening to this podcast and might want more information. And I just sort of curated the information, the research, the timeline of ah at FDA clearance and and approval and you know, really kind of like a Bible of of what ah TMS is for people who are are interested in and want to have the research available at their fingertips.
00:08:41
Speaker
Okay. So basically, it's stimulating the underactive parts of the brain. Is that correct? Sometimes the brain parts of the brain are underactive. Sometimes they're overactive. And right so it is syncing up those areas of the brain that are not connecting, that are not in sync, that are... that That's why one of the the main benefits of it is it helps reset circadian rhythms so you sleep better.
00:09:06
Speaker
Particularly in PTSD and particularly for autistic children that that do the
TMS for ADHD: Benefits and Intensity
00:09:12
Speaker
MERT treatment, they almost universally get better sleep. Sometimes autistic kids have a hard time sleeping um and their sleep is greatly improved by this because it's resetting the Canadian rhythms. And, you know, our brains work in patterns, right? So neurons fire, brainwaves fire, different types of brainwaves that we use in different ways for different activities, for thinking. working, sleeping, all of those things. And through genetics, trauma, sometimes, you know, concussion, even physical conditions, our brains get out of sync. And so TMS is a way to refire neurons and re-sync the connections in brain that needs to function at its best.
00:09:51
Speaker
Okay. Okay. And can you explain, um I'm just curious about the treatment protocol is pretty intense with, like you said, your son five days a week for for six weeks. yeah Is that the case for everyone or was that because that was just that specific Merck type treatment?
00:10:07
Speaker
That's pretty much the case for everyone. Since my son has done treatment, the accelerated protocols are here, meaning that they have received FDA clearance. So there are people, because people do travel for it. We, in our clinic, we travel quite a bit because It's not available ah in all areas of the country.
00:10:22
Speaker
And so some of the manufacturers of the equipment were able to get clearance for doing multiple treatments a day. So so rather than you can do anywhere from two to 10 treatments of a day. I mean, in our clinic, 10 is pretty, is a very, very intense. The most intense is 10 treatments a day. It was actually pioneered at Stanford. It's called SAINT.
00:10:41
Speaker
And it is for people who are struggling with acute depression, people who are having thoughts of suicide, people who are suicidal. So, ah Saint, 10 treatments a day for five days. It is almost an in-person treatment because you're in a clinic all day doing the intense protocol. But it works. It's very effective. So, you can do with other accelerated protocols that have just received fda clearance, you can do anywhere from two to ten. And so, we have we do have a lot of children that we treat in our clinic, and we try to stick to two, you know, one to two a day for them because they they are pretty sensitive to the stimulation. But, you know, it's great. So if you're doing two treatments a day, you would take the 30 session and you would condense it into probably three weeks, right? So half the time.
00:11:28
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. and so I know, again, this was ah ah originally designed for treating depression, but then since then they've discovered that it helps these other conditions.
00:11:39
Speaker
The one I was most interested in is ADHD because a lot of clients that I get, that's kind of like you said, one of the kind of comorbidities, right? They have feelings of anxiety. They have ah some ADHD, right? Like there's just kind of some multiple challenges.
00:11:52
Speaker
And so can you tell us a little bit ah more about that? So ADHD is one of the conditions that is not, how it is used off-label quite a bit. Because people who have ADHD are a lot of times given medications, and I don't know if if your families have told you this, but they have a honeymoon period with the medications, and then they they lose efficacy, and then they're layering medications, or a lot of times a comorbidity of depression will set in.
00:12:17
Speaker
So people people do treatment, do TMS for ADHD. As I said, it's not covered by insurance unless you have a comorbidity that you know would would qualify you for coverage, which a lot of people probably do.
00:12:31
Speaker
But it is effective. It is effective in in managing symptoms of ADHD. And if you have a child that is struggling with ADHD, I would encourage you to look into it, particularly if you're not happy with the the medication, the way the the the dosage of medications is going, out or if you're starting to have conversations about upping the dose or adding a second pill, maybe try this before you add a second pill.
00:12:54
Speaker
Right, right. And that, you know, a lot of times there are side effects with those medications, I would say more often than not. And so um it's a nice to know that there is this other, you know, treatment available. And so what kind of benefits are they seeing?
00:13:07
Speaker
You know, you said it's kind of just reducing the symptoms. Is it really helping kids focus better? Is it helping with the H part, the hyperactivity part? Like, what is it most helpful? Yeah, I
Navigating Insurance and Exploring TMS Options
00:13:18
Speaker
would say, well, it it resets circadian rhythms. So if you have a child that has ADHD, that's kind of up all night, you know, that is kind of crashing in the morning because they were up all night because their circadian rhythms are all out whack. It would definitely help with that. It definitely helps calm the brain.
00:13:34
Speaker
It helps focus. It helps just maximize function of the brain. And so when they are, I assume that because they are mapping the brain, right, when they kind of get you set up. And so how is it, I guess that's what I want to know. Can you walk us through how they make sure they're targeting the right areas and not the wrong areas or making backwards progress, anything like that?
00:13:55
Speaker
Yeah, well, but you wouldn't make backwards progress. You might not make as much progress on some of the protocols, but there's, there by and large, the chief complaint with people who have tried TMS is that it hasn't worked for them. Well, there's a difference between haven't worked to sending me back. so So it's well tolerated and you know some people get more benefit than others. But but generally, the magnet is placed it in standard TMS that enjoys the most insurance coverage. The magnet is placed on the forehead and it penetrates about two inches deep to the spot of connectivity. They call it the golf ball. like a
00:14:32
Speaker
like ah a spot of connectivity and it's pretty accurate. So everybody gets some relief. Now, some of the like MERT is designed to add a second magnet placement in the back of the head.
00:14:44
Speaker
And that might, it and it it does often for many people, it increases the efficacy of the treatment. The SAINT protocol, some of the accelerated protocols add a layer of ah FMRIs or and MRIs to them increase get closer to this golf ball size spot of connectivity, but that's really what they're they're targeting. But standard TMS does a great job of that as well. ok
00:15:10
Speaker
Does your teenager tend to freak out when the new school year is about to start? Well, here's the good news. They don't have to. Sign your teen up for my free webinar called How to Start the School Year Without Freaking Out.
00:15:22
Speaker
We will tackle time management, the skills to handle the stress and pressure of school, social life, social media, and the brain-body connection behind stress and focus. Sign them up. The link is in my show notes. They're going to love it.
00:15:40
Speaker
So when someone comes into your clinic and and, you know, they're being treated for any of these conditions that we talked about, how does someone decide which one is right for them, I guess? Well, the the doctor. That's a conversation with the doctor, you know you know, listen to your doctor. In this, we go through all the different, in my in my booklet, we go through all the different options available to you. But yeah, ask a doctor about it and, um you know, why he feels that MERT would be right over TMS. What I want to tell everybody listening and everybody should know is,
00:16:09
Speaker
Do the one you can afford. So if you are really needing insurance coverage to make it work, then that's the treatment that's right for you, right? Because we don't ever want do anything that is going to send us into the poorhouse. We don't ever want to do anything that is, you know, out of pocket when there is an effective way to to pay for it. So if what's available to you is standard TMS because you have been struggling with depression or you have a teen that has been struggling with depression, then that's the best one.
00:16:35
Speaker
Okay. Okay. All right. I guess sounded like there were so many options. I was like, whoa. But yes, I see what you're saying. It's it's kind of like through the doctor's care and then kind of that affordability factor. Okay. ah Just as a ah the mom of an autistic person, you know, autism is one of these things where you're you're off label and without coverage the day you get that diagnosis because, you know, nothing that you want to try for autism is ever covered by insurance. So that's just as like a standard thing I tell people parents that are looking for options for their autistic children. Start with what's covered. Start with what the insurance companies pay for. You know, they pay for a certain therapies and they pay for certain, yeah, most of it's therapy that that that you get through an insurance carrier or through your school district services, through your school district. Start there.
00:17:19
Speaker
And then when you start evaluating what you can afford off-label,
The Role of Support Groups and Alternatives
00:17:23
Speaker
then, you know, kind of rank it as to, you know, from most evidence to least evidence and then you go that route. So I always but but apply that logic to everybody. Start with what you can afford.
00:17:35
Speaker
Yes, yes. Okay, so what else do you want to share with the moms today? Because I know you're so passionate about this and how much it helped you and help your son. I'm sure there's more that you've got to share.
00:17:45
Speaker
Well, i thank you. I appreciate that. um More than anything, I just want moms to know that there is a drug-free alternative for children who are struggling.
00:17:56
Speaker
That is what what I was upset that nobody told me about. you know, no mom wants to medicate her child. And we do it when we have to. But if there's a doctor out there that is not telling you that there are other things, then, you know, put his feet to the fire and say, why not? Why why shouldn't I try this? I've read about this. I've studied this. So TMS is one of the things I want everybody to know about so that they can make informed choices.
00:18:18
Speaker
in do it in In opening the clinic and and starting this um treatment center, I have met so many moms and i have a dear friend who is the mother of an autistic child ah young adult herself.
00:18:30
Speaker
And she, her and I have been friends for decades, right. In in our journey to to parent autistic children. And she's an editor by trade. So she was in my office one day and we were going through the website.
00:18:41
Speaker
She was helping me edit it. And a mom came in and she had had a daughter that had gone off to college and was unable to be at college. She had a breakdown in college and her home, the late diagnosis of autism fall followed. And she was in the daughter was in the the clinic doing treatment and the mom wanted to introduce herself and you know, she just fell apart. She just started to cry and she was wracked with guilt and how could I have missed this? And she was always bright, but you know, there were things I should have known, I should have known, I should have known it, you know?
00:19:11
Speaker
So we sat with her for a while and we gave her kind of the autism one-on-one ropes and, you know, kind of tried to talk her off that guilt ledge because nobody deserves to be on that ledge.
00:19:22
Speaker
And when she left, we decided we needed to do something. And the Refrigerator Moms was born. The Refrigerator Moms stems from the Refrigerator Mother Theory that was prevalent around the time when autism diagnosis were first coming into the lexicon. And the autism community said that If your child was autistic, it was your fault. As a mother, you were cold. whoa You were a refrigerator mom, and you needed to hug your child and show your child more affection. And if you didn't see improvement, they were going to take your child away and institutionalize your child. Oh, man. It was horrible and awful, of course, and untrue, of course, because here there were women going to see doctors to get help for their children and wondering why they weren't talking, and they were told it was their fault. And so we decided to name ourselves refrigerator moms, and it as a cheeky nod, to them and and to reclaim the name as an advocacy, not for guilt purposes. And so we have a podcast that we're called The Refrigerator Moms, and you can find us in all all of the social media outlets. And we write papers about all topics, parenting neurodivergence, and they're free to use as this a jumping off point for whatever you're struggling with as a parent of an autistic or non-human person.
TMS Treatment for Children: Safety and Experience
00:20:36
Speaker
Yes, I love it when there's some great resources out there. And and so ah multiple times I've heard you say children, and I'm wondering what is the youngest age that you treat? So you the treatment is safe to do for children from ages three.
00:20:48
Speaker
We say 3 to 99 because some people do it if they've had a shift for stroke recovery. It's not covered by insurance, but it it is known to be effective for stroke recovery or the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer's, but dementia in the most early stages. And some people just if they can afford it, do it because they know they have a history of the those conditions. And so we say 3 to 99. And, you know, little kids The brains are placid. you know They don't have any negative coping mechanisms that have developed yet. So they tend to do very, very well.
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah, that's was thinking. I'm like, those brains at in a young age would be, it sounds um like it would be amazing. um And then how do you explain it to kids? Because yes, it does sound scary to have like being hooked up to something in a magnet. Like it sounds like it's like scary. So how do you help kids and moms feel more calm about the treatment? That's a great question. I don't think anybody's ever asked me that. Oh, I mean, certainly moms have, but great question. ah So couple things. So I'm sure you're familiar with social stories.
00:21:46
Speaker
that we write for people who are not quite verbal yet that help explain scary things. And there's, you know, a so speech therapy designation for writing social stories to explain things. So in our clinic, we have a stock social story for treatments, and we give those to parents to share with therapists and to, um you know, they're able to personalize them for their own clinic and their own treatment. And we take it slow, sometimes Kids go through those social stories for six months before they do treatment. They do a little tour of the facility. They, you know, feel the magnet on their forearm so they can kind of get used to that. They check out the snacks. You know, sometimes we get their preferred snacks. And we just make it really kind of fun for them. And like going to the dentist, right? You have to kind of prep for going to the dentist. There's the box of toys. There's all of those things. And I would say the social story prep is probably the the the biggest thing that we advocate for and help with. And sometimes we have them bring in dolls. Sometimes we have them, you know, mimic treatment on mom or dad. You know, things like that. Just getting it, getting it.
00:22:55
Speaker
you know, curious about it. And the the the biggest thing is, is that it doesn't really hurt them. So usually, I would say 99% of the children settle in about somewhere between five and 10 treatments in.
00:23:09
Speaker
And then you'd swear theyd like it, you'd swear that they love the feeling of the magnet on their forehead, you know, kind of thing, right? I think. Yeah. So what does it feel like? ah It feels like a little tapping on your forehead. With the younger children, we tend to go a lot slower because they're very sensitive to the stimulation. So really, it really just feels like a tapping on the forehead and and in the weight of the magnet. i get when i When my son was young, an occupational therapist taught me how to do head compressions on him. You know, when he was getting, would get hyper or have a hard time i controlling himself. I would do these compressions, you know, on his forehead and his scalp and it was, and his jaw kind of, there was a little exercise they taught me to do. And I i swear it mimics that. That's the only thing i can, it's just kind of the weight of the magnet, um a little light tapping. And it's like kind of a five second pulse and you take a break.
00:24:02
Speaker
for a few seconds. And, you know, the neurotech sing songs during the break, or they, you know, put a TV show on, or they, you know, do funny faces and yeah kids end up enjoying it.
00:24:14
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So if there is a mom listening who, and I'm sure there are many who are kind of interested in, what would you encourage them to do as their next step?
00:24:25
Speaker
I would encourage them to follow my social media, ah Brain Performance Technologies, or refrigerator moms, we talk about a lot on refrigerator moms, I would encourage them to ask their doctors about it. But go armed with information. don't because if you Sometimes if you go, they'll just say, no, I don't think it's a good idea. But if you say, well, I've read this, this, and this, I want to try this, then they might be more apt to um listen to what you have to say. there are in I know in Texas where you are, there are several Merck clinics, so several colleagues of brain performance technologies, and they they're excellent. They do an excellent job. So ah just you know, talk, talk to the clinics. And then I have a Facebook group. It's called Merck for Autism USA. Okay. Merck for PTSD. You can um get more information there. Parents share experiences all the time on
Encouragement and Resources for Parents
00:25:12
Speaker
that. um And then the last thing I would say to parents who like, oh, this is,
00:25:17
Speaker
too expensive. i And I agree with all that. um If it's something, again, never do what can't afford. So that's always the number one leading advice. I would say, keep it on your radar. And the second the doctors start prescribing medications, start taking copious notes of the effects of those medications and argument that, well, he's been, my child has been given an SSRI or a mood stabilizer. Perhaps a diagnosis of depression is appropriate.
00:25:44
Speaker
Why are we getting for his mood? Maybe there is depression because a lot of times people will think that if you're ah nonverbal autistic, you don't have depression. You just have autism. Well, if you're being medicated as if you're depressed, maybe you're depressed and it's a misnomer that you can't, you know, verify that there's so a little bit of depression going on. You know, you had have to work with a therapist. It might take you a little longer to analyze that diagnosis, but keep it on your radar because then maybe at 15, you're They will be eligible through their insurance plan if you've tried medications and you haven't made much progress.
00:26:16
Speaker
i'm mean excess of depression okay That's great advice. Or OCD, right? Maybe you have you know OCD and nothing else has worked. and so you OCD is generally covered by insurance through single case agreements. that you know You might do it that way, but keep it on your radar, even if it's something that you don't try right away.
00:26:34
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Well, Kelly, thank you so much for sharing that your time and knowledge and um kind of, I guess I feel lifted up and motivated because to know that there's help out there for people who may have been desperate for help and didn't know what else to do and didn't know what else to try. And now here's a new tool in their toolbox. And hopefully I can um assure you that there will be somebody who um takes the next steps that you're talking about because now they have this information. So thank you.
00:27:02
Speaker
Awesome. And not just for your kids, for yourself. Maybe it's something that you struggled with. Maybe you have been taking medication and, you know, you haven't got much relief. for you As we age, the side effects get a little bit trickier with medication, right?
00:27:14
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah. I did not have a depression diagnosis, but I did it to help my menopause symptoms, be my symptoms of menopause because I was really struggling with some of those. It it gave me great relief, so Wow. Okay. Sounds great. I love that. Love some more symptom relief. So, okay. Well, Kelly, thank you again. i appreciate your time. Thank you so much for having me.
00:27:37
Speaker
When you get a chance, please go to the show notes and click on the link ratethispodcast.com slash tphmom to give my podcast a rating and review.
00:27:49
Speaker
And if this episode resonates with you, be sure to share it with your mom friends who are going through the same things. Be sure to tune in for next week's conversation. Until then, keep up the good work.