It may seem like science fiction, but imagine a machine that is non-invasive, virtually painless, and has the ability to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It exists with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation!
Antidepressant medication has its uses, but studies have found that its success rate decreases with every subsequent treatment course. This means that its effectiveness in achieving remission gets lower and lower, while other treatments such as TMS have shown benefits in patients who have failed antidepressant medication treatments. TMS can restore hope and life to patients who have been struggling with mental health conditions.
Another well-known treatment for mental health conditions is electroconvulsive therapy, where seizures are induced using electric shocks, which works on the frontal and temporal lobes. However, the concerns with ECT are well-known, as it involves administering general anaesthetic on the patient, as well as potential risks to the heart and even cognitive impairment. Despite this, ECT is still used by doctors as an effective treatment for depression.
TMS uses magnetic pulses that directly affect the areas of the brain that regulate mood, which causes them to increase dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels. As a non-invasive treatment, there is no sedation or anaesthesia required, and there are none of the side effects you get from antidepressant medication or from electroconvulsive therapy. The most common side effect is a mild headache that occurs when the unit is switched on and administered to the skull, but it dissipates once the TMS session is complete.
Patients often have 20-30 sessions on average, spread out over 5 a week, with a length of around 20-40 minutes each. In a recent clinical study on 257 patients who did not respond well to antidepressant medications, they were given TMS therapy. 67.7% responded to the treatment and 45.1% achieved remission.
As a clinically-proven and safe treatment, TMS has the ability to help millions of depression sufferers achieve a quality of life that has been missing until now, with none of the side effects and concerns that today’s most popular treatments have. We’re excited to bring TMS therapy to Seattle, Olympia, and Tacoma. Contact us today and learn how you could benefit from the future of depression therapy.