Promising New Treatment for Depression
New Treatment for Depression That Gives Hope
Depression is one of the most difficult and challenging mental health disorders to treat. Because each individual’s brain chemistry and physical make-up is unique and different, attempting to treat someone’s major depressive disorder (MDD) with antidepressants can amount to an exercise in trial-and-error. Each attempt at finding the right antidepressant may seems to always end in disappointment.
With so many side effects that accompany the various SSRI antidepressants, many will abandon the drugs without even completing the six-week trial period. Weight gain, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, and a host of other negative effects only add to the feelings of frustration and hopelessness in battling this serious mental health condition. The failure of antidepressants to result in remission of MDD symptoms has many seeking a new treatment for depression, outside of the traditional use of antidepressants.
TMS Alternative Treatment for Depression
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) offers an alternative path toward freedom from the debilitating grip of treatment-resistant depression. TMS falls within the spectrum of brain stimulation techniques, using the power of magnets as its therapeutic source.
Powered by technology that mimics that of an MRI machine, TMS therapy precisely targets the region of the brain that controls mood, the limbic system located in the left prefrontal cortex.
TMS therapy has been FDA cleared since 2008 for treatment-resistant MDD patients, demonstrating its effectiveness in helping so many find remission from depression. TMS is noninvasive and does not require general anesthesia, as other brain stimulations—also referred to as neuromodulation—like ECT do. Because of this, there are no serious risks involved with the therapy; TMS has been shown to be very well tolerated by patients.
How TMS Works as a New Treatment for Depression
The magnetic fields that are produced by the Magstim technology are delivered through an electromagnetic coil that is positioned strategically on the patient’s head. Using repetitive pulsation through the coil, these magnetic fields penetrate the skull and induce electrical currents in the brain. These currents then stimulate the nerve cells that have become sluggish or dormant, eventually normalizing brain chemistry.
Once the physician has fully evaluated the individual’s physical and mental health history it will be determined if TMS therapy is a viable for treating the MDD. Once cleared for TMS, the patient will be prescribed a treatment plan, including number of treatment sessions, the placement location of the coil, as well as determining the appropriate dosing of magnetic energy. Rehab for depression with TMS Therapy typically is five sessions per week for 4-6 weeks, the effects of the brain stimulation technique gradually reveal improvements in several areas, including overall mood, quality of sleep, energy level, and focus and concentration. Symptom relief begins to appear after about the tenth TMS therapy session.
TMS Shows Safe and Effective Results in Clinical Studies
For the past decade, numerous clinical trials on the safety and efficacy of TMS have been conducted worldwide. In the majority of these studies, statistically significant results in both remission and response rates have been demonstrated with sham-controlled trials.
For example, a multi-site study of 257 patients with treatment-resistant MDD was conducted between 2010-2012. The study results showed that patients who received the TMS (versus the sham treatment) showed a significant change in their scores on the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale at the end of treatment. When long-term follow-up was conducted a year later, 62% of them continued to meet response criteria, indicating high tms therapy success rate.
Anew Era TMS & Psychiatry Offers New Treatment for Depression
Anew Era TMS & Psychiatry is a leading provider of TMS therapy for treating difficult Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that has not responded to antidepressant therapy. As experts in the field of treating MDD with this exciting new treatment for depression, the physicians and TMS technicians at Anew Era TMS & Psychiatry are committed to improving the quality of life for their patients. For more information, please contact the friendly staff at Anew Era TMS & Psychiatry at (888) 503-1549.
