Iliauni Team Retrained in Mental Health Treatment using The Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Somatic Therapy Method

Ilia State University, in collaboration with Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University and the Global Initiative in Psychiatry – Tbilisi Foundation, with the support of the I2Q Project Competitive Innovation Fund, is implementing a project aimed at introducing the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) method in Georgia. TMS is a non-invasive treatment method that involves stimulating certain areas of the brain.

It is used as an adjunct treatment for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a number of other mental health problems.

Within the framework of the project – The Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Somatic Therapy Method Implementation for Better Mental Wellbeing and Enhancing Mental Health Education in Georgia – in 2024, the first modern therapeutic TMS device in Georgia was purchased and put into operation, which provides services to people with mental health problems at the Ilia State University. The Iliauni TMS Laboratory is used as a training base for students of Iliauni and Batumi University, and as a research base for professors and master’s students of both universities.

The project is served by a specially trained team of mental health professionals, who in April of this year, in order to strengthen their capabilities, visited the Czech National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ) on a study visit. The purpose of the study visit was to retrain the Iliauni team in the treatment of various mental health conditions using the TMS method. The training was led by Monika Klirova, Head of the Czech Mental Health TMS Laboratory, together with her team. In order to discuss sustainable models for the institutional development of the TMS service, Iliauni representatives also met with the Director of the Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Petr Winkler.