{"id":2173,"date":"2017-05-04T01:39:03","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T01:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2017-05-04T01:39:04","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T01:39:04","slug":"magnets-can-help-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/2017\/05\/magnets-can-help-depression.html","title":{"rendered":"TMS (Magnets) Can Help Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/2017\/05\/magnets-can-help-depression.html\/tms\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2177\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2177 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/376\/2017\/05\/tms.jpeg\" alt=\"tms can help depression | Terezia Farkas | depression help | Beliefnet\" width=\"575\" height=\"602\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most people with depression feel better with treatment. But about 30 percent can\u2019t seem to shake off their depression. This is especially true if you respond poorly \u2014 or\u00a0don\u2019t respond at all \u2014 to\u00a0antidepressants.<\/p>\n<p>For those with treatment-resistant depression, a noninvasive treatment called\u00a0transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) offers hope.<\/p>\n<p>This relatively new option can bring relief when\u00a0other treatments\u00a0for depression fail, says psychiatrist\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/staff\/19888-murat-altinay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Murat Altinay, MD<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>How TMS works<\/h3>\n<p>TMS uses a magnetic field \u2014 similar to that used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) \u2014 to stimulate the brain\u2019s dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in mood.<\/p>\n<p>Increasing the activity of\u00a0neurons in this area lessens depression, Dr. Altinay explains.\u00a0Having\u00a0your brain\u00a0stimulated by a magnetic field may sound a bit scary, but the experience isn\u2019t painful.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe typical TMS session lasts about 30 to 40 minutes,\u201d he says. \u201cDuring the session, patients are fully awake and sitting in a comfortable chair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what happens:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The doctor places the TMS coil on the top left side\u00a0of your head.<\/li>\n<li>The coil delivers stimulation for about 4 seconds, stops for about 15 seconds, then starts again.<\/li>\n<li>This cycle repeats about 75 times per session.<\/li>\n<li>During stimulation, you hear a tapping sound and feel a tapping on your\u00a0scalp. \u201cThose who are a little more sensitive may experience some scalp discomfort,\u201d Dr. Altinay says.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Throughout treatment, you are fully aware of what\u2019s going on. You can speak, read or even nap. After treatment, you can resume your daily activities immediately without restrictions, he says.<\/p>\n<p>One drawback of TMS is that it\u2019s time-consuming, at least in the beginning. During the first phase, you\u2019ll likely receive treatment every weekday for six weeks (about 30 times).<\/p>\n<p>During the second (maintenance) phase, the doctor tailors the frequency to meet your needs. You may get treatments every other week, monthly, or every two months.\u00a0The frequency gradually decreases.<\/p>\n<h3>TMS: Effective and safe<\/h3>\n<p>Research shows that regular maintenance with TMS helps prevent recurrence and reduces the symptoms if depression should come back.<\/p>\n<p>TMS has relatively few side effects.\u00a0\u201cThe most frequent side effect is headache, but not everybody experiences that,\u201d Dr. Altinay says. \u00a0If you do get headaches, taking Advil\u00ae or Tylenol\u00ae before treatments can help.<\/p>\n<p>More serious is the increased risk of seizures reported in the literature.\u00a0\u201cHaving a seizure disorder would prevent a patient from being the best candidate for TMS. However, I\u2019ve been doing TMS for 10 years, and none of my\u00a0patients have experienced seizures,\u201d he notes. \u201cSome literature suggests that if a seizure disorder is well-controlled with anti-epileptic drugs, TMS might still be an option.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Who can benefit from TMS<\/h3>\n<p>Dr. Altinay says TMS mainly targets those who don\u2019t respond adequately to antidepressants or who are completely medication-resistant. TMS also\u00a0can be offered if antidepressants cause severe reactions or side effects, or worsen other health issues.\u00a0However, TMS is not recommended for anyone with a:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Poorly controlled\u00a0seizure disorder<\/li>\n<li>Metallic implant close to the head<\/li>\n<li>Brain tumor or brain disease<\/li>\n<li>Substance abuse disorder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How TMS differs from ECT<\/h3>\n<p>You may have heard of another treatment for medication-resistant depression:\u00a0electroconvulsive therapy\u00a0(ECT), inaccurately called \u201cshock therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While TMS and ECT share similarities, TMS offers several advantages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Both techniques rely on stimulation, but ECT uses electrical energy to stimulate the entire brain. \u201cYou can\u2019t control which area you stimulate with ECT,\u201d says Dr. Altinay. The global brain stimulation, coupled with the need for anesthesia, often causes short-term memory loss.<\/li>\n<li>TMS uses a magnetic field instead of electrical energy and stimulates only the part of the brain involved in depression. This results in fewer side effects.\u00a0\u201cIn fact, TMS has actually been shown to enhance memory,\u201d he adds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Only a limited number of healthcare providers offer TMS, so it may take some research to find one near you. \u00a0And not all health insurance companies will pay for TMS, says Dr. Altinay.<\/p>\n<p>However, this option offers hope for those who\u2019ve struggled to find relief from depression through traditional avenues, he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/health.clevelandclinic.org\/2017\/05\/cant-conquer-depression-how-magnets-can-help\/\">Brain and Spine Team<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">* <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tereziafarkas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to find out more about Terezia Farkas\u00a0<\/a>and Depression Help<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\u00a0<strong>Join the conversation. Leave a comment. Ask a question.<\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people with depression feel better with treatment. But about 30 percent can\u2019t seem to shake off their depression. This is especially true if you respond poorly \u2014 or\u00a0don\u2019t respond at all \u2014 to\u00a0antidepressants. For those with treatment-resistant depression, a noninvasive treatment called\u00a0transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) offers hope. This relatively new option can bring relief&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":578,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,102],"tags":[5,4,123,12,67,28,6,121],"class_list":["post-2173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-depression-help-2","category-motivation","tag-beliefnet","tag-depression-help","tag-depression-research","tag-emotional-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-mood-disorders","tag-terezia-farkas","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>TMS (Magnets) Can Help Depression - Depression Help<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For those with treatment-resistant depression, a noninvasive treatment called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) offers hope.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/2017\/05\/magnets-can-help-depression.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TMS (Magnets) Can Help Depression - 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Terezia is a reiki master, psychic medium, and certified channeller. Visit Terezia Farkas on Twitter @tereziafarkas Website: http:\/\/www.tereziafarkas.com Honours: Alberta Lt. Governor Circle on Mental Health and Addictions award. Bell Let's Talk Social Media Ambassador 2017. CAMH (Canadian Addictions and Mental Health) 150 Difference Makers nominee. 2014 Global Crisis of Depression Summit at Kings Place in London on November 25, 2014, which included speakers Kofi A Anan, the 7th former Secretary General of the UN.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.tereziafarkas.com","http:\/\/on.fb.me\/1zSE4WB","https:\/\/x.com\/tereziafarkas"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/author\/tfarkas"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2173"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2179,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173\/revisions\/2179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/depressionhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}