Presbyterian adds brain-stimulation treatment for depression, OCD in Albuquerque

Presbyterian doctors in Albuquerque have started using a new brain-stimulation machine at the Kaseman Adult Behavioral Health Clinic for patients with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, adding an outpatient option for people who have not gotten enough relief from medication alone. The donor-funded device delivers electromagnetic pulses to a targeted part of the brain, and each session lasts about 20 minutes.

Adult psychiatrist Dr. David Vivas said the clinic began using the machine about three months ago. Presbyterian says the treatment is aimed mostly at patients with treatment-resistant conditions, especially people who have already tried a couple of medications without enough success. Vivas said the therapy can expand the chance of remission beyond medication alone, and patients with depression may also have anxiety symptoms, obsessive thoughts or a full OCD diagnosis.

Patients can enter the service through the usual care path. Presbyterian says a primary care doctor can refer patients to the behavioral health clinic, placing the treatment inside the health system’s broader psychiatric network rather than limiting it to a narrow specialty setting. Presbyterian Healthcare Services says its outpatient behavioral health specialty provides a full continuum of psychiatric services for adult, child and geriatric patients, and its behavioral health program also includes outpatient behavioral health, inpatient behavioral health, substance-use-disorder treatment and virtual behavioral health.

The machine was funded by a donation from a local family to the Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, and Presbyterian says the Kaseman hospital fundraising arm supports new medical equipment and other patient resources at Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in Albuquerque. That makes the new service part of a local investment in psychiatric care rather than a stand-alone technology purchase.

The treatment also fits into a therapy that already has federal and clinical footing. The Food and Drug Administration has permitted marketing of transcranial magnetic stimulation devices for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Mayo Clinic describes TMS as a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. Mayo Clinic also says the FDA has approved three TMS devices for OCD in adults.

The timing matters in New Mexico, where the Department of Health says the state faces unique challenges in access to specialized mental health services and that expanding access through telemedicine, peer support and workforce development is critical. CDC FastStats says 4.5% of adults age 18 and older reported regular feelings of depression in the latest 2025 National Health Interview Survey estimate, and the CDC says suicide caused 48,824 deaths in 2024. For Bernalillo County patients who have already cycled through medications, the new Kaseman option puts a short outpatient treatment closer to home.