Patient data shows how often depression, anxiety and PTSD co-occur with sleep disruption, focus difficulty and access to evidence-based care beyond medication.
Mental Health Awareness Month arrives this year amid growing evidence that millions of Americans living with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recognize their symptoms long after they first appear. Serenity Mental Health Centers, an outpatient mental health clinic network with more than 35 clinics across the United States, today released 2024 patient outcomes data and clinical guidance from its Chief Medical Officer to help patients, families and primary care providers identify the signs that are most often overlooked.
“Patients often arrive at Serenity describing trouble sleeping, persistent fatigue or difficulty concentrating without connecting those symptoms to a mental health condition,” said Dr. TeeJay Tripp, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Serenity Mental Health Centers. “Once we identify the underlying pattern, treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and ketamine infusion therapy give us evidence-based tools to support patients who haven’t responded to medication management alone.”
What Are the Mental Health Symptoms People Most Often Overlook?
Across Serenity’s national patient population in 2024, providers most frequently treated:
- Anxiety: 78.6% of patients
- Depression: 75.6% of patients
- PTSD: 22.7% of patients
- Sleep disturbances co-occurring with another mental health diagnosis: 16.3% of patients
According to Dr. Tripp, the symptoms most frequently dismissed or attributed to other causes include:
- Persistent sleep disruption that does not respond to lifestyle changes
- Difficulty concentrating or “brain fog” that interferes with work performance
- Irritability or short temper that is out of character
- Loss of interest in activities the person previously enjoyed
- Physical fatigue without a clear medical cause
These symptoms often appear before more recognizable signs of depression, anxiety, OCD or PTSD and can be early indicators that warrant evaluation by a qualified mental health professional. Sleep concerns, in particular patient cases, are framed by Serenity’s providers as a co-occurring symptom of an underlying mental health condition rather than as a primary diagnosis.
A complete guide to the most overlooked mental health symptoms including how they relate to outpatient treatment options is available at serenitymentalhealthcenters.com/mental-health-awareness-month/signs-people-miss/.
How Is TMS Therapy Different From Medication?
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is a non-invasive, FDA-cleared outpatient treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain associated with mood regulation. Unlike medication, which alters brain chemistry across the whole body, TMS targets specific neural pathways involved in conditions such as major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety, PTSD and OCD.
In Serenity’s 2024 patient outcomes data:
- 84% of TMS patients responded to treatment
- 78% achieved remission
- Three years or longer: duration of sustained results for many patients
Serenity uses BrainsWay® Deep TMS™ technology, which is FDA-cleared for MDD and OCD and reaches deeper neural regions than standard TMS. The treatment is administered in an outpatient mental health clinic setting, requires no anesthesia or sedation, and allows patients to resume daily activities the same day.
How Does Ketamine Infusion Therapy Work for Treatment-Resistant Depression?
Ketamine infusion therapy is administered intravenously by a registered nurse in a controlled outpatient setting. It is increasingly recognized for its rapid impact on treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, OCD and severe anxiety. A typical course is approximately six sessions, and many patients experience symptom relief within hours of their first treatment.
Ketamine infusion therapy is most often considered for patients who have not responded to medication management or who are seeking an alternative approach to mental health care. As with TMS therapy, ketamine infusion therapy is administered under medical supervision following an evaluation to determine candidacy.
Why Mental Health Care Is Shifting Beyond Medication-Only Approaches
According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 30% of individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder develop treatment-resistant depression, where two or more antidepressants fail to relieve symptoms. Harvard Health reports that 50–60% of individuals with depression who have not responded to medication experience meaningful improvement with TMS therapy.
“Patients deserve access to the full spectrum of evidence-based options,” Dr. Tripp said. “Medication is the right answer for many people, but it shouldn’t be the only answer. TMS therapy and ketamine infusion therapy give us a way to reach patients who have been cycling through medications without relief.”
Who Is a Candidate for TMS Therapy or Ketamine Infusion Therapy?
Candidates for TMS therapy typically include adults with a confirmed diagnosis of a mood disorder who have not responded fully to medication, along with those seeking a non-medication treatment path. Candidates for ketamine infusion therapy generally include patients with treatment-resistant depression, bipolar depression, PTSD or severe anxiety. An evaluation by a Serenity psychiatrist determines candidacy, and treatment plans are personalized based on individual diagnosis, history and goals.
Both treatments are administered on an outpatient basis. Serenity does not provide traditional talk therapy and encourages patients to continue with their existing therapists during and after treatment.
Expanding Access to Outpatient Mental Health Care
Serenity Mental Health Centers currently operates in eight states : Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Virginia, with continued expansion planned into underserved communities, including military-focused markets and regions with limited access to advanced behavioral health treatments.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Serenity Mental Health Centers has published a comprehensive guide on the signs of depression, anxiety, OCD and PTSD patients and families most often miss, along with information on outpatient TMS therapy and ketamine infusion therapy. Read the full guide at serenitymentalhealthcenters.com/mental-health-awareness-month/signs-people-miss/.
About Serenity Mental Health Centers
Serenity Mental Health Centers is a leading provider of outpatient mental health services, dedicated to transforming the lives of patients through compassionate, innovative and evidence-based care. With more than 35 mental health clinics across the United States, Serenity offers a range of mental health services tailored to address mental disorders including depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and ADHD. Serenity’s psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and behavioral health specialists combine innovative therapies including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy and ketamine infusion therapy with personalized medication management to help patients achieve lasting wellness. For more information, visit www.serenitymentalhealthcenters.com.
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The Signs of Depression, Anxiety and PTSD Most People Miss
