Depression is a common but serious mood disorder that significantly affects how you feel, think, and handle daily activities. There are diagnostic criteria that must be met for someone to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder or another form of depression.
The diagnosis of depression means more than just being sad or unhappy about a situation. Before discussing whether TMS therapy for depression in Minneapolis is right for you, let’s begin with an understanding of what depression is and then how TMS therapy treats this condition.
To reach a diagnosis of depression, you must meet diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association. Symptoms must last at least two weeks. While most people associate symptoms of suicidal ideation or thoughts of suicide and death with depression, other symptoms include:
You can also experience increases in fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, and difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions.
There are several reasons a person can experience symptoms of depression. They may result from a combination of biological, genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Depression can be triggered by life events or stress, and you can experience varying degrees of severity of those symptoms. There are several treatment options available for those suffering from depression in Minneapolis, but the first-line treatment is typically antidepressant medications.
Unfortunately, the majority of people do not get significant relief from antidepressant medications. Other relief strategies include lifestyle choices such as balanced nutrition, adequate amounts of quality sleep, and exercise. However, when you’re feeling depressed with a lack of motivation, it can be difficult to change the way you eat and sleep and add exercise to your daily routine. People whose symptoms are resistant to medications and whose symptoms continue to become more severe may be candidates for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also called shock therapy.
ECT requires anesthesia. During the treatment, low-voltage electricity triggers a seizure, which appears to make biochemical changes in the brain that reduce the symptoms of depression. However, antidepressant medications and ECT therapy come with a list of side effects.
Antidepressant medications have a systemic effect on all the cells in your body and may trigger side effects like:
Side effects of electroconvulsive therapy include nausea, headache, fatigue, memory loss, and confusion on the day of treatment. ECT can also trigger medical complications, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure. In rare cases, it can lead to serious heart problems in people who have underlying heart conditions.
Imaging studies have demonstrated that the area of the brain responsible for mood disorders is not as active in individuals who have been diagnosed with depression. Although the exact mechanism that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses to reduce symptoms of depression is not known, clinical studies have demonstrated significant effectiveness in individuals who have been treatment-resistant to antidepressant medications.
TMS uses electromagnetic pulses targeted at the area of the brain responsible for mood disorders. These pulses appear to increase neural activity, which in turn relieves symptoms of depression. TMS therapy in Minneapolis can have some side effects, but those are localized to the treated area. The most reported side effects in clinical studies have been tapping, tingling, or a warming sensation over the area of the skull where the TMS coil is placed during treatment.
During your TMS treatment for depression in Minneapolis, you sit in a chair that looks like the one in your dentist’s office. During the treatment session, Dr. Awosika places a padded coil against your head so electromagnetic pulses can be targeted to the depth and intensity prescribed by your physician.
TMS therapy does not require anesthesia or sedation, so once the treatment session is done, you can go about your daily activities. Each treatment session takes less than 30 minutes, and most treatment cycles require one treatment five days a week for seven weeks.
While TMS therapy is safe and effective for most people, it is not the right choice for everyone. There is a very rare risk of triggering a seizure during TMS therapy. For this reason, it is not recommended for people who have a known seizure disorder, other neurological conditions, or a head injury.
NeuroStar TMS therapy uses electromagnetic pulses to activate neural activity in the brain. Therefore, people who have metal implants should not undergo TMS treatments. This can include people with cochlear implants, heart pacemakers, bullet fragments, and those who have tattoos with ferromagnetic ink.
If you have symptoms of depression that have been resistant to treatment, our team at Pinnacle Behavioral Healthcare wants you to know that there is hope. We understand that symptoms of depression can be debilitating and discouraging. We encourage you to call our office to schedule a consultation and learn more about TMS therapy for depression in Minneapolis. Our qualified and compassionate medical staff are ready to give you the care and attention you deserve.
