Are you dealing with depression and not finding a solution with prescription medications? Drugs do not work for everyone, and sometimes, even when they do work, people cannot tolerate the side effects. When you are looking for other options to treat your depression, contact Pinnacle Behavioral Healthcare to learn how NeuroStar TMS Therapy in Minneapolis works. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is FDA-cleared for treating major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and major depressive disorder with anxious depression.
Certain areas in your brain control your moods, emotions, and behavior. When nerve endings and the synapses between nerves in those areas cease to work correctly, you will notice a change in your mood. You can become depressed and may also have problems with anxiety.
Researchers have found that stimulating specific underactive areas in a brain can improve neuron and synapse function. These changes bring your brain back to functioning normally, which, in turn, improves your mood and relieves depression. The NeuroStar Advanced TMS treatment system features a specialized handpiece that passes alternating current through a metal coil. This generates a specific type of magnetic field that can be passed through your skull and into the part of your brain that needs treatment. This magnetic field is similar to one generated by a standard MRI machine.
The TMS therapeutic magnetic field induces a tiny electric current to form only in the area of your brain being treated. That current will depolarize the nerves. With the depolarization comes a reset for the nerves and an improvement in synapse function. Dormant or minimally functioning nerves can return to normal functioning. You will notice your mood slowly improving with successive treatment sessions as the nerves return to normal function.
Another aspect of how TMS therapy works is related to stimulating neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to change in response to stimulation with reorganization of connections when areas of your brain are not working properly. The magnetic waves and tiny electric currents stimulate your brain to heal itself.
When treated nerve cells stay “turned on” and functioning at normal levels, you can be considered having gone into remission. NeuroStar Advanced TMS Therapy can create extended relief, with many of our patients in Minneapolis finding relief from depression for up to a year or more. If your depressed mood starts to return, you can choose to return for more treatment sessions to spark your nerves back to functioning better.
Now that you have a better idea of how NeuroStar Advanced TMS therapy works in Minneapolis, you are probably wondering how well it works. In a large study of patients with major depression who had been unresponsive to at least one antidepressant medication, 83 percent of patients who completed their TMS treatment plan saw considerable improvement in their depression symptoms. These patients are just like you, unhappy with inadequate treatment for their depression with standard medications. When you have depression that seems to be resistant to treatment, turning to NeuroStar TMS therapy could bring you a level of relief you never thought would be possible.
In that same large study, participants had a 62 percent depression remission rate. This means that 62 percent of patients who completed their NeuroStar TMS treatment plan did not have a return of their depression for a year or longer. In comparison, a study looking at the remission rate for patients who had failed to get relief for their depression from three or more drugs had a seven percent remission rate if they continued to change medications. The STAR*D study showed how a patient’s chance for remission decreased with each new medication tried. Discontinuation of medications due to side effects also increased with each new medication attempt in that study.
When you are struggling to treat your major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or major depressive disorder with anxious depression with prescription medications, make an appointment at Pinnacle Behavioral Healthcare to learn how NeuroStar TMS Therapy in Minneapolis works and what it could do for you. We will discuss your history and your concerns for the future. Then, you will be ready to begin your journey to improving your mental health and happiness.
