You want to pursue treatment as soon as you notice symptoms of depression because the condition may cause destructive behaviors. Typically, your first treatment will consist of medications and talk therapy sessions in the hope that your symptoms will improve. However, such treatments may fail, which is the time for TMS treatment at Psychiatric Consultants of Atlanta. The facility offers this treatment alongside other standard treatments for depression to help you fight depression. TMS involves using magnetic pulsations to target a precise brain area and stimulate electrical activity. As a result, your moods are boosted, and your symptoms improve. The following are key facts to understanding TMS for depression.
TMS is Effective When Other Treatments Fail
Usually, your doctor will recommend treatments like medication and therapy sessions in your initial sessions for treatment. However, these standard treatments may fail to yield the needed relief from depression. Your doctor will then recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation at this stage.
TMS Can Treat Various Forms of Depression
There are various forms of depression, including major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and anxiety, that can improve with TMS treatment. Additionally, you can notice improved symptoms with TMS if you have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
TMS May Not Be Effective for All
You will need evaluation to determine if TMS is appropriate for your depression symptoms. First, you may not be a candidate if you have implants in your body containing magnetic metals. TMS uses a powerful magnet that may easily pull on the magnetic metal in implants, which may result in severe pain injuries. Secondly, having a history of seizures and epilepsy, among other conditions that affect your brain, may put you off the list for this treatment. In rare cases, TMS may cause seizures.
Treatment is Repetitive
For TMS to be effective, you will require different treatment sessions depending on what your doctor recommends. Treatment may happen daily, a given number of times a week, and may go on for up to six weeks. During your first treatment session, your doctor will identify the best site on your head for placing the magnet and the correct dose of magnetic energy. You will then sit and put on earplugs, and your doctor places the electromagnetic coil on your head and switches it on. The coil will give stimulating pulses that continue repeatedly and cause you to feel a tap on your forehead. The first session may last up to an hour. The following sessions will do the same as the first treatment but will take up to 40 minutes.
TMS Has Side Effects
Although relatively safe, you will likely have mild side effects like headaches, pain in the scalp, dizziness, ringing in your ears, and unusual sensitivity to sound. Such side effects are temporary as they last only several minutes after treatment.
While research continues on the various conditions that TMS can improve, the treatment has proven effective in addressing various forms of depression, including major depressive disorder. TMS is a safe and non-invasive procedure that targets a specific area of your head to improve moods, thus improving your depression symptoms. There are few risks attached to the treatment, and most fade away shortly after treatment. You can learn more about TMS to find out how effective it is, in treating depression.
