CitiScapes, Northwest Arkansas’s lifestyle magazine, features an article this month about TMS, Northwest Arkansas Psychiatry’s non-drug treatment for depression.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy is a non-invasive treatment approved by the FDA for patients who don’t respond well to antidepressants. It involves the use of an electromagnetic coil. Placed near the scalp, the coil delivers electromagnetic pulses painlessly to the areas of the brain involved in depression. These areas of the brain often have lower than normal levels of natural electric activity.
These electromagnetic pulses stimulate the cells and allow them to essentially practice the brain’s normal reactions to positive thoughts. The brain’s response to these electrically stimulated reactions is the same as its response to spontaneous positive thoughts and feelings. This therapy can help restore electrical activity in the brain to normal levels.
TMS therapy takes less than an hour, and has very few side effects. Some patients may experience a headache, but many do not. There is no recovery required, so patients can go directly from a treatment to their normal work, study, or recreational activities.
TMS is also being studied as a treatment for other problems, from Parkinson’s Disease to obsessive-compulsive disorder. The use of TMS therapy in treating chronic pain is especially encouraging as concern over opioid use increases. Click To Tweet
“The brain is a changeable organ,” Dr. Lance Foster said. “Every time people learn something new, there are physical changes in the brain structure. TMS allows us to make positive changes more quickly.”
Northwest Arkansas Psychiatry is the only provider of TMS therapy in Northwest Arkansas. TMS can be combined with other kinds of therapy, and Northwest Arkansas Psychiatry offers comprehensive counseling services for the entire family. The practice is accepting new patients, and accepts referrals from outside the MANA system.