How Has TMS Changed Treatment For Mental Health?

Keegan Warrington
September 5, 2022

Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Unfortunately, some can’t respond to more common forms of treatment, such as medications and therapy. TMS– or transcranial magnetic stimulation– may be the route to take.

TMS is a non-invasive procedure that stimulates brain cells via magnetic fields. The repetitive pulses aim to improve symptoms of mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. Because TMS directly targets the brain, people resort to this when other treatment methods don’t work.

It’s one of the best treatments, but how has TMS changed mental health treatment?

TMS research studies first date back to the 1800s when Michael Faraday argued that there was a reciprocal relation between electrical energy and magnetic field. Since then, scientists have discovered how magnetic coils can affect the brain and treat mental health disorders. However, they could not generate high-intensity or fast-frequency stimulations.

Today, with advanced technology, TMS devices are strong enough that that procedure is recommended when all else fails. Many devices have been cleared to treat other conditions, like OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

How effective is this treatment for depression? TMS is not only one of the most effective methods of mental disorder treatment, but it has revolutionized mental treatment as a whole when other methods fail to treat a person.

types of treatment for depression

How Has TMS Changed The Mental Health Treatment Options

More effective

There are many types of treatment for depression. The most common are medication and psychotherapy. But sometimes, people venture into other kinds of treatment when the previous two don’t seem to work for them.

They try other forms of therapy, such as art therapy, animal-assisted therapy, music therapy, and emotion-based therapy. Others even go for alternative methods like acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and exercise.

    * Medication

When it comes to the success rate of treatment for depression, all of these have shown they can effectively address the condition and its symptoms. Research shows that, out of 100 people who took antidepressants, about 40 to 60 out of 100 people noticed an improvement in their symptoms within 6 to 8 weeks.

    * Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy also has a significant success rate as a treatment for depression. It’s even known to prevent relapse effectively. A meta-analysis of eight studies found that 60% of the patients treated with antidepressants relapsed, while only 29.5% of the patients treated with cognitive therapy relapsed.

    * Meditation

Among the alternative options, yoga and meditation are the most popular, also known as mindfulness. These, essentially, fortify your body and mind to further strengthen yourself against the symptoms of your depression. One study even found that continuing to incorporate these into your daily life provides long-term benefits.

how effective is treatment for depression
    * TMS

Yes, all these show great effectiveness when treating depression and its symptoms. Unfortunately, they don’t always work. For treatment-resistant patients, medical experts usually recommend TMS.

Around 60% of patients struggling with depression who did not find success with medications experience a clinically significant response with TMS. Moreover, about one-third of these people experience complete remission.

And although relapses can happen, most TMS patients feel better a while after stopping the treatment, with the average response length being more than one year.

Advancements with technology

Some were looking into the connection between brain stimulation and electricity. However, people primarily use therapies when treating mental health conditions.

More and more experts are researching technological advancements in treating conditions such as depression and anxiety. A new experimental treatment at the Stanford University School of Medicine built upon TMS and brought rapid remission to over 79% of the participants with severe depression.

The Stanford accelerated intelligent neuromodulation therapy, SAINT for short, is an intensive and individualized form of TMS.

While statistics on TMS are mostly positive, there is still room for improvement. The traditional TMS requires daily sessions for at least six weeks. About half of the patients who undergo this procedure improve, and only about a third experience remission.

SAINT improves the treatment by honing in on the best place to target and giving a higher number of magnetic pulses at a faster rate.

Participants in the study experienced remission within days of the treatment, which lasted months. SAINT also posed minimal side effects– headaches and temporary fatigue.

success rate of treatment for depression

TMS Today

TMS may not be as popular or as sought after as first-line approaches like medications and therapies. But how has TMS changed mental health treatment? It’s considered one of the most effective forms of depression treatment. It’s even a fallback when patients become resistant to the previously mentioned approaches.

Although not explicit, TMS has shaped certain areas of the mental health industry. Today, experts use this to help people with mental health disorders, and researchers are building upon the concept to develop better approaches.

You don’t need to look further for TMS treatment in California. You can find peace with us. Start your healing journey with people equipped with skill and compassion to help you. You can visit us at 3939 Atlantic Ave Suite 102, Long Beach, CA 90807, United States. You may also contact us at 562-203-0567 or go to our website rootstms.wpengine.com.On your recovery journey, consider CBT therapy and choose Roots TMS. Start your healing journey with people equipped with skill and compassion to help you.

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Keegan Warrington