--- title: "Interventional psychiatry at Sutter Health" description: "Sutter offers interventional psychiatry treatments, including ECT and TMS, for people with mental health conditions that haven't improved with standard treatments." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services) / 3. Interventional psychiatry # Interventional psychiatry Interventional psychiatry uses brain stimulation techniques to treat psychiatric conditions that haven’t responded well to medication or therapy.  In a crisis? Call 988 for the [Suicide Prevention Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/). [Find a psychiatrist](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_providerSpecialties.specialty.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Psychiatry%22%2C%22Psychiatry+-+Child%2FAdolescent%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=healthcare_professionals) [Request a referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Why choose Sutter? At Sutter, our behavioral health specialists create a thoughtful, supportive space for healing. Recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review for [outstanding interventional psychiatry care](https://www.sutterhealth.org/about-us/awards?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_awardServices.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Behavioral+Health+Care%22%5D%7D%5D&limit=10&verticalKey=awards), we offer electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) TMS and ketamine infusion therapy (KIT). These state-of-the-art treatments may be considered for symptoms related to long-term depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.  Interventional psychiatry services are available at three specialty centers in Northern California. In Sacramento, [Sutter Center for Psychiatry](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/sutter-center-for-psychiatry-1043246594) offers ECT, TMS, SAINT TMS and KIT. [Alta Bates Summit](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/alta-bates-summit-medical-center-alta-bates-campus-1043246519) and [Sutter Mills Peninsula Medical Center](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/mills-peninsula-medical-center-1043246780) in the Bay Area provide ECT and TMS.  We focus on making your experience personalized. Our respected team guides you through every step, helping you understand your options and feel supported as you navigate care.  By the numbers ### 80+ Sutter providers offer trusted mental health care close to home. ### 30+ locations in our communities provide behavioral health services. ### 5 specialty centers support mental health care across Northern California. ### 16 recognitions for high-performance care from U.S. News & World Report. ## Need a referral? Chat live with our team Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, or call us at [888-834-1788](tel:+18888341788). [Request a referral](https://www.sutterhealth.org/referrals) ## Conditions - Anxiety - Bipolar Disorder - Catatonic Depression - Depression - Manic Disorder - Schizoaffective Disorder - Schizophrenia - Suicidal Tendencies - Treatment-resistant mood disorders ## Treatments - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) - Ketamine Infusion Therapy (KIT) - Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) - Therapeutic Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) ## Related services - [Behavioral health care](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/behavioral-health-care) - [Behavioral health care for seniors](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/behavioral-health-care-seniors) - [Behavioral health outpatient services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/behavioral-health-outpatient) - [Inpatient psychiatric services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/inpatient-psychiatric-services) - [Partial hospitalization (PHP) And intensive outpatient care (IOP)](https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/partial-hospitalization-intensive-outpatient-care) ## Interventional psychiatry specialty locations ## Awards and accreditations [View all Awards and accreditations](https://www.sutterhealth.org/about-us/awards?verticalKey=awards&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_awardServices.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Interventional+psychiatry%22%5D%7D%5D) Becker’s Hospital Review 2024 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Programs [View all Awards and accreditations](https://www.sutterhealth.org/about-us/awards?verticalKey=awards&facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_awardServices.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Interventional+psychiatry%22%5D%7D%5D) ## Looking Past the Stigma  Alexis lived with treatment-resistant depression for years until she heard about ECT. At first, she was hesitant due to the stigma but decided to give it a chance. Within two weeks, she was back to her normal self. [Read More](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/electroconvulsive-therapy-looking-past-the-stigma-1042868362) ## A way back After years of medication for his depression, James turned to TMS for a way to start feeling better. With the help of the [Sutter Center for Psychiatry](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-location/facility/sutter-center-for-psychiatry-1043246594), he was able to lower his dosage for antidepressants. [Read more](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-a-way-back-1042868359) ## Sutter spotlight Health & wellness ### [Help for clinical depression](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/help-for-clinical-depression) Explore effective treatment options, including medications, to lift depression’s cloud. Health & wellness ### [What You Can Do to Prevent Suicide](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/prevent-suicide) Learn the warning signs of suicide and how to help someone at risk. Health & wellness ### [Depression Symptoms by Age Group](https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/depression-by-age) A teenager with depression looks and acts very different from a senior. Learn the signs. ## Patient stories [View all stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) - [Patient story ### New Tech Shortens Mental Health Treatment from Weeks to Days ](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/new-tech-shortens-mental-health-treatment-from-weeks-to-days-2037892108) [View all stories](https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories) ## Interventional psychiatry for hard-to-treat conditions Explore advanced therapies at Sutter, including brain stimulation and infusion treatments for hard-to-treat conditions. [Find a psychiatrist](https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider?https://www.sutterhealth.org/find-provider-results?facets=[{%22i%22:%22c_providerSpecialties.specialty.name%22,%22v%22:[%22Psychiatry%22,%22Psychiatry%20-%20Child/Adolescent%22]}]&verticalKey=healthcare_professionals) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry#breadcrumblist"},"name":"Interventional psychiatry at Sutter Health","description":"Sutter offers interventional psychiatry treatments, including ECT and TMS, for people with mental health conditions that haven't improved with standard treatments.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"MedicalSpecialty","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry#medicalspecialty","name":"Interventional psychiatry","alternateName":["Advanced Psychiatric Interventions","Therapeutic Psychiatry","Neuromodulation Psychiatry","Interventional Mental Health Services","Behavioral Health Interventions","Advanced Mental Health Therapies","Interventional Mental Health Care","Device-Based Psychiatric Treatments","Biological Psychiatry Interventions"],"url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry"},"award":["Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Programs - Becker’s Hospital Review (2024)"],"about":[{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Anxiety"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Bipolar Disorder"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Catatonic Depression"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Depression"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Manic Disorder"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Schizoaffective Disorder"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Schizophrenia"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Suicidal Tendencies"},{"@type":"MedicalCondition","name":"Treatment-resistant mood disorders"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Ketamine Infusion Therapy (KIT)"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT)"},{"@type":"MedicalProcedure","name":"Therapeutic Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)"}],"publisher":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org"},"datePublished":"2026-11-06T08:39:26-08:00","dateModified":"2026-11-06T08:39:26-08:00"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services/interventional-psychiatry#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Services","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/services"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Interventional psychiatry"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Electroconvulsive Therapy – Looking Past the Stigma ","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/5ea36f46-95a6-42c5-ad00-9afca9266274/089a87d5-17bf-4448-888e-9b20b2910258/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2021-05-17T16:51:57.514Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6254614030001","description":"Alexis lived with treatment-resistant depression for years until she heard about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). At first, she was hesitant due to the stigma but decided to give a chance. Within two weeks, she was back to her normal self.","duration":"PT2M41S","transcript":"ALEXIS INAMINE: This depression started\n30 years ago during my sixth month of pregnancy.\nIt came on pretty quickly.\nI started not to sleep.\nI had a lot of anxiety.\nIt just progressed into such severity\nthat it went into a psychosis.\nWhen you're that depressed, you lose yourself completely.\nMIKE INAMINE: Before the onset of this depression,\nshe was energetic.\nShe was working hard.\nShe was vibrant.\nWithin a month, life just went upside down.\nIt was catastrophic.\nALEXIS INAMINE: I tried talk therapy.\nI tried medication.\nI was treatment-resistant.\nECT was suggested to me.\nAnd I was afraid because of the media\nand because of the stigma.\nFinally, I decided to do ECT, and that was life-altering.\nLAUREN MARASA: ECT stands for Electroconvulsive Therapy.\nIt is the most effective treatment\nwe have for severe depressive disorders or those\nwith treatment-resistant depression.\nECT is much different than it was performed decades ago.\nWe deliver treatment under general anesthesia.\nWe will deliver a brief electrical stimulus\nto the brain, and that triggers a seizure which\nlasts about 30 to 90 seconds.\nAnd it's like pressing reset on the brain.\nThen patients wake up, and they recover\nin our recovery room for about an hour\nbefore being driven home.\nALEXIS INAMINE: The results were amazing.\nMIKE INAMINE: Within two weeks, she was back to herself.\nIt wonderful to see Alexis become the mother to her son.\nALEXIS INAMINE: Going through ECT was like a resurrection.\nIt gave me my life back.\nRecently, I had another severe depression.\nKnowing the ECT works, I was not hesitant.\nI actually called Sutter Center for Psychiatry myself\nfor intake, and they got me in.\nToday I am able to live my life again\nbecause of electroconvulsive therapy.\nI wouldn't be here if it wasn't for ECT.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TMS for Depression: How It Works and One Patient's Experience","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/0cf69a7f-ff5e-4a6d-9539-7f87a9782eaf/9a178a2f-b68a-4a47-b8de-be971cd244bb/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2021-05-13T17:26:55.093Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=\t6254066810001","description":"After years of medication for his depression, James turned to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for a way to start feeling better. With the help of the Sutter Center for Psychiatry, he was able to lower his dosage for antidepressants.","duration":"PT2M40S","transcript":"JAMES WEAVER: With depression comes a lot of isolation.\nYou don't want to be around other people.\nI tried a lot of types of therapy--\ntalk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapies,\nmedications.\nIt took them five or six different medications\nto find one that stuck, and they were still\nwanting to increase it.\nI was also self-medicating with alcohol--\nthe depression, the anxiety that PTSD was destroying my life.\nMARIA WEAVER: It's been a struggle for me\nto watch him go through this, but to watch it kind of chisel\naway at who I knew him to be.\nJAMES WEAVER: This was really the first opportunity\nI had to try something that would\nundo the actual physical damage to my brain because\nof the traumas.\nI was hoping for anything that they could do for me.\nWhat I got was way beyond that.\n\nLAUREN MARASA: At Sutter Center for Psychiatry,\nwe are very invested in our patients and their families\nand their outcomes to live their life to the fullest.\nTMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.\nDuring treatment, a magnetic coil\ngenerates an electromagnetic field\nthat essentially turns on the neurons\nand causes them to fire in areas of the brain that\nare considered underactive in depression.\nTMS is a very good option when patients\nwith clinical depression have not\nresponded to traditional medications or psychotherapy.\nJames came to us after having experienced a variety of trauma\nin his life and career.\nDuring the course of his treatment,\nwe were able to reduce his antidepressant\nfrom 70 milligrams, which was very high doses, down\nto 20 milligrams.\nJAMES WEAVER: The doctor was doing a very aggressive\nmedication reduction.\nAnd when I felt no side effects from it,\nthat was truly the first indication\nthat I had that it was working.\nOne of the things that I noticed was\nthat I wanted to be around people again.\nMARIA WEAVER: To see that shine come back\nand watching it slowly come back and seeing glimpses\nof who he was and who I know him to be,\nI can't even describe it.\n\nJAMES WEAVER: I would absolutely recommend this treatment\nto anyone suffering from any kind of depression or anxiety.\nIt's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ```