Sarah Praski makes no secret that she sometimes struggles with her mental health, and she\u2019s just as open about what helped with her treatment-resistant depression: transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, done at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital in Palos Park.<\/p>\n
The Tinley Park resident had anxiety as a child and had taken medication for the condition since she was diagnosed at 18 with general anxiety disorder. But two intense personal losses \u2013\u00a0her fianc\u00e9\u00a0dying in 2009 when Praski was 31 and her dad dying by suicide three years later \u2013 led to severe depression. \u201cThey were the loves of my life, so the two traumatic losses back to back, that was that,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n
She suspects a change in her hormones a few years ago led to her getting treatment-resistant depression, or TRD. The medications she\u2019d been taking no longer were working, and her life dramatically changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really bad. I went from being able to manage a lot of different tasks at once and keep everything in order in my head to having to write everything down and not recalling things. So memory loss, brain fog, really bad,\u201d Praski said. \u201cAnd the physical sensation of depression? Pure exhaustion. Having a hard time getting out of bed. And my anxiety was so bad, just in the last couple of years, I couldn\u2019t go to the grocery store by myself. I had to have my husband or mom with me because I was agoraphobic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her condition led to her taking leaves of absence from her job in continuing medical education at Northwestern Medicine Hospital, which she\u2019s had for 16 years, working initially at the downtown location but transferring to the Palos Park site after she moved to Tinley Park.<\/p>\n
When Praski\u2019s doctor retired, Dr. Mona Lal became her psychiatrist, seeing her as an inpatient before the TMS treatment. \u201cWe were at the point where I was seeing her once a week, and now I see her every four months,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that\u2019s the difference of being better.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Lal who told her about TMS. \u201cI had heard about it and read about it. I didn\u2019t even know it was at Palos,\u201d Praski shared, despite her working at the hospital. \u201cDr. Lal said \u2018Why don\u2019t we try this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Being treated in Palos Park made the process easier. \u201cYou can drive afterward, but it\u2019s nice to have someone with you,\u201d she said of the daily sessions. \u201cMy mom doesn\u2019t go downtown, so finding out it was accessible at Palos was a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Praski had the initial series of 36 sessions, followed by another series the following year to gain remission. \u201cSome people do it and never have to do it again, and some people have to do it again. It just depends on your case,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to take care of yourself. It\u2019s not an easy fix. You have to get sunlight, eat well and don\u2019t isolate. All those things are still important.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said other people saw the changes treatment brought before she did. \u201cA lot of people were telling me I seem more like myself. Everything seems bright \u2013 you notice more things. You\u2019re not in a cloud of despair. I went on a vacation this spring. It was my first vacation in forever, and I remember telling my mom \u2018There\u2019s no way I could have done this 12 months ago.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t have gotten on an airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/STA-L-palos-depression-treatment-1006-01.jpg\")
Sarah Praski, of Tinley Park, who developed treatment-resistant depression, and her husband, Michael Praski, take a selfie at Yellowstone National Park. \u201cMichael was so loving. It\u2019s not easy to be with someone experiencing a mental health crisis because you feel so helpless,\u201d she said. (Michael Praski)<\/p>\n
Praski said her family is thankful for the treatments. \u201cThey probably get down on their hands and knees thanking Dr. Lal that their wife, friend, cousin is back.\u201d<\/p>\n
TRD is diagnosed \u201cwhen patients have received at least two adequate trials of antidepression medications and psychotherapy has been attempted,\u201d said Lal, a board-certified psychiatrist who treats adults. \u201cThis is standard treatment for major depressive disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
TMS is not an automatic option for some struggling with TRD. \u201cIf patients are acutely suicidal or acutely psychotic or manic, then they need more treatment interventions and TMS is not indicated. They need to be stabilized first,\u201d Lal explained.<\/p>\n
In addition, patients must be able to commit to the number of sessions. \u201cThere are 36 treatments that last for about 20 minutes. You are able to drive yourself back and forth to the treatment, so you have to come three to five times a week for six to eight weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treatment involves a device that delivers pulse magnetic fields and is pointed at the region of the brain that causes depression. Lal said the treatment activates \u201cneural circuits which are underactive in patients with depression. \u2026 That is how patients respond without taking any medication systemically and preventing side effects from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She called it an \u201cinnovative, new treatment, relatively speaking; a neuromodulation process. This treatment does not involve any anesthesia (unlike electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT). The patient is awake and aware of all the treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
People who have metal close to the treatment area, such as a deep brain stimulator, cochlear implant or tattoo with metallic ink, can\u2019t use the treatment because of the magnetic field.<\/p>\n
![\"Registered](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/STA-L-palos-depression-treatment-1006-03.jpg\")
Registered nurse Gina Panka, left, and Dr. Mona Lal adjust a machine used for transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, to help patients with treatment-resistant depression at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital in Palos Park. (Northwestern Medicine)<\/p>\n
At the initial session, Lal and her TMS practitioner, registered nurse Gina Panka, go through a mapping process to locate the exact location on the patient\u2019s scalp \u201cso we can identify the energy, the power, the amount of energy given through the treatment coil.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the patient is seated in a chair similar to those in a dental office, the tech places the patient\u2019s head in position and the doctor places the magnetic coil gently against the left side of the person\u2019s head, Lal said.<\/p>\n
That process takes 30 to 40 minutes, and then the first treatment is given. Following sessions last about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
Patients typically feel a tapping sensation in the area, similar to getting an MRI. \u201cThe typical sensation they describe is like a woodpecker: tap, tap, tap, tap,\u201d Lal said, adding that earplugs can help with the noise, as well as taking over-the-counter pain relievers.<\/p>\n
Praski called the treatment room \u201ccalm,\u201d adding that sessions aren\u2019t painful \u201cbut it takes a little while to get used to it because it\u2019s really loud. \u2026 I\u2019m sure some people would maybe say it\u2019s a little scary at first. You can just sit there and talk, whatever you want to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
TMS has few side effects, which is one reason Lal likes the treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome headaches have been reported in people but it does get better,\u201d she said. \u201cThere have been reported seizures in clinical trials and the risk is 1 in 30,000 treatments, or 1 in 1,000 patients, so we screen for high-risk patients. \u2026 But so far, touch wood, we have not had any episodes since 2017. It\u2019s really rare.\u201d<\/p>\n
From 2017 to now, the Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services team at Palos Hospital has treated about 150 patients with TMS therapy. Those interested in learning more can call 708-923-5772.<\/p>\n
Lal said her patients have seen good results with TMS, and she hopes potential patients and physicians in the area become aware of this option to treat depression.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of my patients will talk after about 10 or 15 treatments \u2026 they feel like a brain fog has been lifted. They will tell me they are starting to think more clearly. They will talk about their energy levels being better,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re talking more about smiling more. They\u2019re interacting more with their families and loved ones and getting their life back. These are the statements I hear from patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Praski urged people to explore the treatment option. \u201cThere\u2019s no shame in struggling with mental health. The world is a hard place right now. Reach out in whatever avenue you can find. It\u2019s not your cross to bear alone,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many resources, and if you\u2019re experiencing treatment-resistant depression, I would highly recommend exploring TMS because it\u2019s not invasive. It\u2019s life-changing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Originally Published: October 6, 2025 at 5:02 AM CDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sarah Praski makes no secret that she sometimes struggles with her mental health, and she\u2019s just as open…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[276],"tags":[68643,79,68644,68645,68404,68646,68659,68647,18,68648,26954,135,68649,19,5087,17,3136,68650,68651,167,502,68652,5,68653,68654,68655,68656,82,68657,68658],"class_list":{"0":"post-110341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-blue-island","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-calumet-city","11":"tag-chicago-heights","12":"tag-cook-county","13":"tag-country-club-hills","14":"tag-daily-southtown","15":"tag-dolton","16":"tag-eire","17":"tag-frankfort","18":"tag-harvey","19":"tag-health","20":"tag-homer-glen","21":"tag-ie","22":"tag-illinois","23":"tag-ireland","24":"tag-local-news","25":"tag-lockport","26":"tag-markham","27":"tag-mental-health","28":"tag-mentalhealth","29":"tag-mokena","30":"tag-news","31":"tag-oak-lawn","32":"tag-orland-park","33":"tag-palos-heights","34":"tag-palos-hills","35":"tag-technology","36":"tag-tinley-park","37":"tag-will-county"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}