We’ve all driven around and seen a type of facility that piques our interest, such as a niche restaurant or a unique fitness class. But when it comes to your mental health care, it’s important to consider the treatments available near you that can help you move along your mental health journey.
TMS therapy isn’t a new concept, as it’s been around for decades. Even though it’s often used in the world of health care, many people may still be on the fence about exploring it due to lack of information. We’re here to lay out the reasons why you should consider TMS therapy near you.
Read on to learn about the basics of TMS therapy, what it can treat and why you should consider it.
What is TMS therapy?
TMS therapy refers to the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation. TMS is an alternative treatment option for mental health disorders. It’s a type of therapy that involves using magnetic pulses to stimulate cell activity in parts of the brain that are responsible for mood and emotional management. The pulses can affect how the neurons connect with one another. They can transform the neural networks that are contributing to your mental health disorder symptoms.
TMS therapy requires a total of 36 treatments over the course of six weeks to help you get the maximum results possible. It’s administered in an outpatient facility by a specially trained technician under the supervision of a psychiatrist.
What mental health disorders can TMS therapy treat?
TMS therapy is the most effective on mental health disorders that haven’t positively responded to other types of treatment, especially treatment-resistant depression and OCD. If a disorder is treatment resistant, that means that the symptoms haven’t improved after at least two trials of medication.
TMS therapy can treat:
- Depression — People with depression respond well to TMS therapy. It’s especially effective for those with severe or treatment-resistant depression. By targeting the areas of the brain that affect your mood, the magnetic pulses can help regulate your emotions to reduce depression symptoms, especially overwhelming feelings of sadness and heightened irritability.
- Anxious depression — TMS therapy can help alleviate anxious depression. This is anxiety that has developed as a symptom of massive depressive disorder. It’s not the same as experiencing depression as a symptom of diagnosed anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder — TMS therapy can be used for conditions other than depression. It has also been used to treat symptoms that stem from obsessive-compulsive disorder, especially treatment-resistant OCD.
6 reasons that you should consider TMS therapy
We understand how intimidating it can be to jump into a new treatment option. But there are many reasons that TMS therapy is worth exploring. Whether you’re living with depression, anxious depression or OCD, here are six reasons you should consider TMS therapy:
- Noninvasive and non-medication therapy — One of the best parts about TMS therapy is that it doesn’t involve any scalpels cutting into the skin. It also doesn’t require ingesting medication that has unfamiliar chemicals in it. TMS therapy can treat your mental health disorder symptoms without breaking the skin or taking drugs that your body may not react well to.
- Won’t interrupt your routine — The 36 required treatments of TMS therapy are just 30 minutes long — short sessions that won’t take up a lot of time in your busy schedule. It also doesn’t require anesthesia, so you’re able to drive to and from your sessions, and you can immediately return to your daily routines.
- Proven effectiveness — If you’re exploring mental health treatment options, the effectiveness plays an integral in your decision. Our data shows that 79% of our patients experienced at least a 25% decrease in their depression symptoms after having TMS therapy, with 56% reporting a 50% decrease.
- Potential remission — While it’s impossible to completely cure depression with any treatment, TMS therapy has been known to eliminate symptoms for an extended period of time. One study shows about 45% of our patients experience one year of remission after a positive response to TMS.
- Quick results — While we all know that instant results are rare, you typically don’t have to wait long to experience results from your TMS therapy. Even though the sessions are spread out over six weeks, many people start to experience a decrease in depression symptoms after just four weeks.
- Only a few side effects — Every treatment option has the potential for side effects. Even though there’s no guarantee that you won’t experience any from TMS therapy, they tend to be short-term and mild. The most common side effects of TMS therapy include headaches, discomfort surrounding the treatment site, and a tingling sensation of scalp, jaw or facial muscles.
Active Path Mental Health can provide TMS therapy near you
If you’re trying to determine whether TMS therapy is right for you, it’s important to consider all the potential benefits that it can offer. From few side effects to quick results, TMS therapy can go a long way for treating your depression and OCD.
Active Path Mental Health has multiple locations in Oregon and Washington that can provide you with TMS therapy near you.
To learn more, contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.
