Get to learn more about TMS therapy and how it works

Most people suffering from chronic depression also have mood disorders that guide them to act and behave differently. In most cases, they are also not responsive to antidepressants and suffer from suicidal ideation. In this situation, most health care providers usually recommend additional treatment to help stabilize your mood. Therefore, if you or your loved one is suffering from depression and mood disorders and looking for a treatment to help stabilize their mood, Bedford TMS therapy is the best solution to your concern. Health care providers use non-invasive and drug-free TMS therapy to treat and manage treatment-resistant depression. Below is all you should know concerning TMS therapy.

What is TMS therapy?

Generally, TMS is an abbreviation for transcranial magnetic stimulation, a good treatment for depression that is no longer responsive to medication. It is also recommended for patients with major depressive disorders resistant to treatment. It is a non-invasive treatment that does not require sedation or anesthesia because no surgery is performed. You are also required to remain alert and awake during the procedure. It is a drug-free treatment. To qualify for TMS therapy, you must have used at least two antidepressants without showing any improvement, similarly, if your medications are causing some unwanted effects that outweigh the benefits.

How does TMS therapy work?

It involves using magnetic energy similar to that used in MRI machines. The purpose of magnetic energy is to stimulate the areas of your brain that cause depression. Your health care specialist usually uses cutting-edge magstim TMS technology, which releases short pulses of magnetic energy directly to the parts of your brain that regulate mood and those that judge your emotions. The magnetic pulses generated usually pass through your skull without inflicting any pain. After reaching the target parts of the brain, they trigger underactive cells in the brain, therefore, reactivating dormant parts of your brain. Several regular TMS therapy sessions help improve your mood.

What happens when you have TMS therapy?

You are required to start by booking your appointment. Your health care provider instructs you to sit comfortably and relax on the treatment chair during your visit. He then performs some tests to help him locate the best part of your head for TMS to coil. Your motor threshold is then measured, referring to the smallest quantity of power needed to twitch your thumb. Doing so helps your care provider know the energy required to stimulate your brain cells. The TMS coils are then adjusted and placed over your head, especially near the front of your brain. The treatment then commences and you may start feeling a tapping sensation or hearing some clicking sounds. After TMS treatment, you are allowed to resume your activities of daily living.

Each treatment session usually lasts for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. However, you are required to have such sessions five days a week for four to six weeks. Most people experience a reduction in the symptoms of depression after TMS a session, with most of them recovering completely after therapy.

Depression can progress, causing suicidal thoughts that tell one to end their life. Therefore, if you are seeking treatment for depression along with mood disorders, you can get started by booking your appointment at Innovative Psychiatry Center today.

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