Depression is a common mental health condition that is characterized by physical and mental symptoms, such as feelings of sadness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and changes in appetite. If depression is left untreated, it can result in significant life changes and can have devastating consequences.
Usually, the first line of treatment is antidepressant medications, but they do not work for everyone. If you have tried several drugs without results, you may have treatment-resistant depression. While this is challenging, we want you to know you have additional therapeutic options, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy.
To understand which treatment option is right for you, it is essential to understand the differences between TMS therapy vs. other treatments. Contact our highly skilled medical professionals to find out why TMS is different from other therapies for depression.
TMS is a non-invasive treatment that reduces your depressive symptoms by using electromagnetic stimulation to increase the electrical activity in your brain.
Research studies have shown that mood regulation areas of the brain are less active in people who have a diagnosis of depression than in people who do not. Image studies show that those areas of the brain are more active after a full treatment cycle of TMS therapy and that it generally decreases or eliminates clinical symptoms.
TMS therapy requires a cycle of one treatment per day for five days each week for approximately nine weeks. If you decide to undergo TMS therapy, the amount of time you will need for your treatment will depend on how severe your symptoms are and how quickly you react to the therapy. Some people require fewer treatments, and others require a few more.
To learn the distinction between TMS therapy and other depression treatment options, reach out to our office to set up a meeting.
While TMS therapy and antidepressant medications are both used to treat depression, they work in fundamentally different ways, provide different benefits, and have different side effects.
Medication alters your brain chemistry by affecting the chemicals involved in regulating mood. The medication impacts your entire body, not just your brain. TMS therapy uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate the specific areas of your brain that are involved in mood regulation. This treatment targets your brain activity but does not affect the rest of your body.
Medications could cause significant side effects, such as:
TMS therapy has fewer potential side effects, the most common being a mild headache and scalp discomfort during treatment. These side effects usually subside by the second week of treatment.
TMS therapy requires no sedation or anesthesia, so you may leave the office immediately after treatment to go about your daily activities. Medication usually requires daily use and may take months to reach its full effectiveness.
Psychotherapy or talk therapy is highly effective in the treatment of depression. Psychotherapy is different from TMS in that it usually requires you to work through your feelings, identify triggers, and make lifestyle changes that impact your mood. These lifestyle changes usually include diet changes, better sleep habits, and more exercise.
Making these changes while experiencing symptoms of depression is difficult—and, for some people, impossible. If you undergo TMS therapy, it helps improve the effects of psychotherapy since it reduces or eliminates your depressive symptoms, allowing you to make lifestyle changes that offer long-term positive results.
TMS therapy stands out as a treatment for depression and other mental health conditions because of its distinct advantages. It is non-invasive and non-medication-based, has minimal side effects, and has demonstrated effectiveness in research and clinical settings for treatment-resistant depression.
Many people sustain symptom relief for months or even years after receiving a full treatment cycle. Unlike medications that affect your entire body, TMS directly stimulates specific areas of your brain without producing a systemic impact. The FDA approved TMS for the treatment of depression and as an adjunct therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder and other neurological conditions.
TMS is a unique and evidence-based treatment that offers effective and well-tolerated therapy when you are seeking relief from depression and other mental health conditions. Speak with our office today to learn more about why TMS is different and how it may help alleviate or eliminate your symptoms.
