Psychiatric Evaluation for TMSNew York, NY

Getting a psychiatric evaluation for TMS

Psychiatric evaluation for TMS increases the odds of a positive outcome with transcranial magnetic stimulation. It serves as a screening tool that helps to determine if the patient's mental health disorder can be treated with TMS therapy. Factors like the patient's age, health status, and gender help determine who can benefit from this alternative approach.

Psychiatric evaluation for TMS typically starts with the psychiatrist evaluating the patient's mental health disorder. This often includes talking to the patient about their symptoms and what they hope to achieve from their treatments. It also involves performing a physical examination to ensure a general health issue is not causing the patient's symptoms. Blood tests might also be ordered to help make this determination.

Patients who are interested in TMS therapy are also evaluated individually to determine if they are healthy enough to handle magnetic pulses being sent into their brains. Health conditions like pregnancy can make some patients ineligible for the treatment.

Here is what psychiatric evaluation for TMS typically looks like:

• A psychiatrist recommends transcranial magnetic stimulation after one or more drugs have failed to help bring their mental disorder under control
• The patient comes in for psychiatric evaluation for TMS. The goal of these appointments is typically to determine if the patient has any health issues that could make TMS therapy risky for them. For example, people who have metal plates or screws in their heads are typically not eligible for transcranial magnetic stimulation
• An in-depth psychiatric evaluation is performed to confirm that the patient has treatment-resistant depression or some other mental health disorder that can be treated with transcranial magnetic stimulation
• The psychiatrist will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the patient's brain to map out the best areas to target with magnetic pulses

In many cases, the psychiatrist who treats a patient's mental health issue might be the same person who performs TMS therapy. This simplifies the psychiatric evaluation for TMS. It shortens the evaluation process since the psychiatrist is already familiar with the patient's mental health issues and how other treatments have fared.

Here is what the evaluation process looks like when a psychiatrist already has an existing relationship with the patient:

3. TMS consultation

A psychiatrist might recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation for people with treatment-resistant depression or other mental health disorders that can benefit from it. During the appointment, the psychiatrist will explain how sending magnetic pulses into areas of the brain can help with mental health issues like anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression.

The psychiatrist will also discuss potential side effects of the treatment and how many treatment sessions the patient will be scheduled for. The psychiatrist will also talk to the patient about issues that could disqualify them from TMS therapy, like having metal screws or plates in their head.