Do you feel like your mind is working against you most days? Feeling overcome with depression and anxiety is no way to live and can dramatically dampen the light of your personality, but with transcranial magnetic stimulation, you have the chance to shine again.

If medication has stopped working (or never started) or you’re looking for an alternative treatment option, it may be time to consider stimulating the source of your problems: your brain.

What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a therapy targeting the activity of nerve cells in the brain.

This non-invasive treatment uses electromagnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells at a strength similar to an MRI machine. This stimulation transforms neural circuits, allowing your brain to function optimally once again.

Who Can Benefit from Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?

There are a variety of people who can benefit from TMS. With the ability to target and stimulate the brain, TMS can help those with health conditions that stem from dysfunction in the brain, such as those with:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• OCD
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Parkinson’s disease
• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis

By exciting nerve cell activity, TMS can help those suffering from poor mental health or low motor function, all because these conditions stem from dysfunction and inactivity in the brain.

For example, depression is linked to reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. By stimulating these nerve cells to get them moving, TMS can help reduce the depressive symptoms that stem from low activity in this brain area, such as appetite changes and low energy levels.

An Insurance Coverage Stipulation

While TMS has shown success in treating all of the above conditions, it is currently covered by insurance only for depression. With continued research demonstrating its benefits and safety, TMS may be approved for coverage in the future when used as a treatment for other conditions, but at this time, it is covered by insurance only for depression.

In good news, TMS is covered by most insurance plans when it is used to treat depression.

An Option for Treatment-Resistant Depression

One of the more common treatment options for depression is medication, but this can come with a range of side effects, some of which may include an exacerbation of depressive symptoms—the complete opposite of the goal of treatment.

Some people may also have depression that is resistant to antidepressants—TMS is an alternative treatment option for these 30% of people with depression who see no response to antidepressants.

In a world where your mind can work against you and keep you from enjoying each day and getting the most out of life, TMS is a breakthrough treatment option that can help when all hope seems lost—and without worsening your symptoms.

TMS is often used alongside antidepressants as a combination therapy; it may even be what’s needed to kick-start your antidepressants and finally see improvements.

How Southern Colorado TMS Can Help

If you have depression and feel as though no antidepressants are working, it may be time to try TMS. Contact our team to learn more information about TMS, or schedule an initial appointment to meet with our doctors and have any of your questions answered.

It’s time to take back control of your life—TMS can help give you the jumpstart your brain needs.