TMS Is a Safe Treatment Option for Depression

Treating depression with TMS therapy has been a successful alternative for many patients. If you are struggling with this mental illness, you should consider this treatment. Formally called transcranial magnetic stimulation, this method is drug-free and is not invasive. Depression can affect your everyday quality of life, but you can find relief. Now might be the right time to discuss your options with your psychiatrist.

How depression hurts people

It is not unheard of for a person to feel down or blue. This can happen to just about anyone at some point in life. Sometimes, these feelings are fleeting, and the individual can improve without intervention. But clinical, severe depression requires treatment. This level of the illness can make a person feel hopeless or worthless.

Depression can make a person feel unmotivated. It can be so severe that the person is unable to accomplish routine tasks such as getting out of bed. A depressed person may feel hopeless. Suicidal thoughts and actions can also follow. This condition can hinder relationships and the person’s physical health too.

What causes depression?

Environmental factors can play a role in depression. Major disappointments or extreme stress can cause a person to feel depressed. A traumatic or tragic event can also bring about feelings of depression. But many psychiatrists agree that the brain may be the main cause as a specific area of the brain controls emotion and mood. When this area has sparse activity, it may contribute to depression. TMS therapy seeks to correct this.

How TMS works

In this therapy, the psychiatrist will gently place small magnetic coils on the person’s head. Then, the psychiatrist stimulates nerve cells in the brain by sending magnetic pulses to that area. This helps to generate activity and may treat or prevent the symptoms of depression. The process usually takes no more than 40 minutes. The patient will do this five times a week for a few weeks. The treatment length will depend on the person’s needs and the severity of their depression.

A non-invasive approach

Sometimes, a psychiatrist will recommend the use of prescription drugs to treat depression. Psychotherapy may also be a common method. When these are not successful, TMS could be more effective. The good news is that it should not cause any pain or discomfort. It will not hurt the person’s brain, even after multiple sessions. It might also be the right approach when the patient and psychiatrist do not wish to use any drugs to treat the symptoms of depression.

The results

People will react differently to TMS. No two people are the same. But patients can take comfort to know that many people have had positive results from the treatment. After a few sessions, the patient should start to feel a difference. Many patients report that the feelings of depression reduce after a few weeks.