Living with a chronic condition like depression is overwhelming enough on its own. Trying and failing to find relief only adds to the weight of your symptoms.
That’s why we’re proud to offer a better way to treat depression: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Here, our experts at US Neuropathy Centers show you exactly what to expect from TMS treatments.
Depression is a complicated mental health problem, and until recently, it was hardly referred to as a disease. Thankfully, we now know much more about how depression develops and how to treat it effectively.
Depression can (and does) stem from a variety of underlying problems. At the most basic level, depression often involves a chemical imbalance in your brain that disrupts how you regulate your mood. But many other factors can contribute, including:
Some point to biology as the culprit, saying that a smaller hippocampus in the brain with fewer serotonin receptors makes you more likely to experience depression.
Gender may even play a role in how depression develops. Research shows that women are more likely to become depressed. This may be due to the number of hormonal changes women go through during their lifetimes, particularly after childbirth.
Unfortunately, treatment options for depression aren’t quite as varied as the causes behind it.
Traditionally, those with depression start a course of prescription medication or begin seeing a therapist. And while those treatments can be incredibly effective, they don’t always work for everyone.
That’s where TMS comes in.
TMS uses targeted magnetic fields to stimulate certain areas of your brain responsible for mood regulation. Now there’s a safe, effective, drug-free alternative for depression, especially depression that hasn’t responded to other interventions.
Your first appointment is the most involved and typically lasts around two hours. It takes a little longer because we spend time carefully positioning the TMS coils so they target the right areas of your brain.
We also measure the angles of your head and the distances between different features to accurately locate the appropriate cortex.
Your first appointment is also the time when we evaluate your motor threshold — the amount of power you can tolerate during treatment.
Once everything is in place, we store your information in the CloudTMS machine. That means your next appointment will take a fraction of the time (around 20-40 minutes depending on your needs).
When the machine turns on, you may feel a tapping sensation and hear the equipment make a noise. Other than that, you won’t feel any pain or discomfort and there’s no need for anesthesia.
To get the best results, you need a series of treatments. Typically our patients come in for treatment five days a week for several weeks. Many of our patients notice results after the first two weeks of treatment, while others feel relief after four or five weeks. Everyone responds to TMS differently, and slow-developing results don’t mean TMS isn’t working.
If you’re ready to see what TMS can do for you, don’t hesitate to request an appointment online or over the phone at our Marietta office in the greater Atlanta, Georgia, area today.
