Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be a life-changing treatment for many people with major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety or insomnia. A study of real-world outcomes reported an 83% response rate, which means patients experienced notable relief, and a 62% remission rate, which means their depression effectively went away.
Depression is a whole-body illness. It involves the body, mood and thoughts. Depression affects the way you eat and sleep. It can affect the way you feel about yourself, the people around you and other things. When you have depression, you can’t “pull yourself together” and get better. Treatment is often needed and many times crucial to recovery.
In 2021, an estimated 21 million adults in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode. An episode is a period of at least two weeks when a person experienced a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities. It also includes additional symptoms, such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration, or self-worth.
Enter transcranial magnetic stimulation.
What Is TMS?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive, FDA-approved treatment option. It’s an effective and proven outpatient treatment and can help patients who have not benefited from prescription medications or psychotherapy treatments.
TMS is a form of neuromodulation treatment (more on that below), an advanced and fast-growing method of treatment. Neuromodulation treatments use targeted stimulation of the brain and/or nervous system to deliver significant relief – and even life-changing improvement – of these disorders.
It’s not a drug, shock therapy (electroconvulsive therapy) or surgery. It is a safe, effective treatment without the side effects of medication.
How Does TMS work?
Neurons in the brain use electrical and chemical signals to send information to parts of the brain and nervous system. When the neurons or their networks in your brain aren’t working properly, your brain function doesn’t either.
As an example, there are specific areas in your brain that control mood and behavior. When synapses in those mood-regulating areas are underactive, connections are broken then depression and other conditions can result.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a type of neuromodulation treatment, which uses magnetic or electrical energy to alter brain activity. TMS revitalizes those dormant synapses, “waking up” the brain to function as it was meant to. It does this by delivering focused magnetic pulses, similar to an MRI, to the brain.
What Is Involved in TMS Treatment?
TMS is done in an office in a reclining chair. It doesn’t require anesthesia so you are awake and alert during treatment. During each session, your provider places a cushioned coil against your head while magnetic pulses deliver the therapy to the correct location that regulates mood in your brain.
You may feel a tapping, tingling or warming sensation where the coil is positioned. The doctor switches the coil on and off repeatedly to produce the TMS pulses. This is usually temporary and subsides with additional treatments. You may resume regular activities immediately afterward.
Treatment is usually five days per week for four to six weeks. The treatment itself takes as little as 19 minutes per session.
How Long Will it Take to See Results?
Many patients begin to see improvement within two to three weeks of starting treatment. You may have relief from depression for six to nine months, possibly years. Sometimes, patients come back for additional treatments.
For more information, talk to your doctor about a referral for treatment.
