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TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation.’ It’s a non-invasive procedure to stimulate your brain using magnetic fields. By improving symptoms of depression, TMS helps patients who have tried other treatments like talk therapy, medication, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
TMS stands for transcranial magnetic stimulation. It’s a non-invasive procedure to stimulate your brain using magnetic fields. By improving symptoms of depression, TMS helps patients who have tried other treatments like talk therapy, medication, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
In that time, see how TMS procedures can make your depressive symptoms improve or disappear. Its experts continually improve their stimulation techniques, treatment sites, and effectiveness.
The FDA-approved therapy treats major depressive disorder and is one of the most intensive, last-resort options for those who struggle with its hopelessness and despair. Treatment sessions are repetitive and frequent, helping people lift themselves out of the worst episodes in six weeks or less.
TMS treatments assist mood regulation. A brain stimulation therapy that can improve symptoms of mental health disorders, TMS is indicated for depression when other therapies and medications don’t work. It may help other conditions like anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, and more.
Not all patients are compatible with TMS. Your doctor may need a physical exam and psychiatric evaluation to match you with the treatment. Without tests and discussion of your depression, it’s unclear whether repeated TMS is a good, safe option for lifting your condition.
For example, those who are pregnant, have implants, or have been taking certain medications may not be a good fit. It’s also important to disclose a medical history, including all of the following:
You won’t need sedation or much preparation for TMS treatments, even on an outpatient basis. You also don’t need to have a driver arranged after the procedure, but you should check that your insurance company covers the therapy. (Some choose to have a driver for the first appointment if they’re unsure how it will affect them.)
To deliver magnetic pulses to the brain during a TMS session, the technician applies a coil against the scalp. Near your forehead, the magnet painlessly sends energy that stimulates cells. These specific cells control emotions and influence affect, activating the area and improving mood. Because depression is thought to lower activity in key regions, the biological stimulation impacts brain function, easing depressive states.
Experts perform the procedure in different ways. They learn more about the most effective techniques with each study published supporting this therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
TMS works for people that standard treatment has failed. Multiple TMS sessions can treat depression when medications and talk haven’t. It is well-tolerated and safe for patients without the need for sedation. Overall, TMS spurs progress and sparks a boost. Some people experience short-lived side effects, but many are mild and moderate.
Patients feel a little discomfort at the stimulation site during the procedure, and some tolerate tingling, spasms, and twitching. There can be other side effects:
MS therapy is a good experience for most people. But it takes multiple appointments at a treatment provider for sessions to take effect. Typically, patients pace their sessions daily, five times per week for up to six weeks. Each treatment lasts about 40 to 60 minutes, making it an intensive option for stubborn depression. Its results change lives.
At your first appointment, you’ll see how the doctor identifies the best forehead area to apply stimulation. They will also calculate an optimal dose of magnetic energy. In the treatment room, you’ll recline in a chair with earplugs. The coil placed on your head will pulse with a clicking sound.
You’ll feel a gentle tapping—mapping the region of the brain. Once the magnetic dose increases to its peak, your fingers may twitch slightly. At this point, the doctor finds a ‘threshold’ before deciding on a dosage that can be adjusted as treatment continues.
Follow-up sessions resemble the initial appointment. You’ll sit in a chair with a TMS technician, under the machine clicking, for around 40 minutes.
Repeated TMS may benefit your depression. If transcranial magnetic stimulation works for you, symptoms can vanish. After a few weeks of treatment, you’ll see the improvement possible through this alternative to first-line therapies.
While it is unknown whether TMS will be helpful for you, some continue with maintenance sessions after the usual six-week period, hoping to stay symptom-free. TMS treatment can always be repeated. If an episode comes, this ‘re-induction’ is often covered by insurance companies. It’s something you would discuss with your doctor.
The results of TMS continue to improve as researchers, scientists, doctors, and their patient’s advance knowledge of the brain and its influence under magnetism.
TMS therapy for depression can help the 30 percent of people who don’t respond to medication and talk therapy. By addressing reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, TMS can help:
TMS therapy helps many people return to day-to-day activities like work and school—freed from their depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. For others, it reduces symptoms of being miserable and unhappy alongside other treatment modes.
TMS is safe for most because everyone responds differently to magnetic stimulation. The procedure is non-invasive and only mildly uncomfortable during a relatively short treatment period.
As an FDA-approved therapy, most major insurance companies cover the sessions. Indiana Center For Recovery offers TMS therapy and may accept your insurance. Confirm your benefits with our counselors.
Indiana Center for Recovery provides integrated care tailored to your recovery needs. Our comprehensive services include detox, residential programs, outpatient support, and family programs.
We also have dual diagnosis treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders.