FDA-approved TMS Can Help Treat Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD), also called clinical depression, is a state of mental health during which you have great difficulty carrying out your regular daily activities, and in some instances, it may become impossible. The disorder is characterized by feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness. You may feel no pleasure in work or hobbies that you normally enjoy. You have very low energy and may spend a lot of time in bed. Your symptoms aren’t temporary; they’ve lasted more than two weeks and are affecting you and those close to you.

Clinical depression can affect not only your mood but also your physical health. When you’re depressed, you may not feel like cooking healthy food and instead rely on processed foods in boxes. You may also become a couch potato and stop exercising. Both of these behaviors increase the risk of heart disease and obesity. One in five people with heart disease has been diagnosed with depression.

If you have major depressive disorder, your relationships suffer. Those who are married indicate dissatisfaction with the relationship and are more likely to cast blame on their partner for the relationship problems. When you’re depressed, you’re also more likely to close the door on the relationship, shutting out your significant other instead of trying to connect; after all, connecting with others takes energy.

Oral medication has helped millions of people cope with clinical depression, but on the other hand, about 50 percent of those who suffer with it don’t respond to first-line treatment. If you take an antidepressant for six weeks with no improvement, the disorder is considered treatment-resistant. If that’s the case, you’re at greater risk on several fronts: an increased likelihood of hospitalization; increased risk for alcohol and drug abuse, and increased risk of trying to commit suicide.

A new tool to treat major depressive disorder and how it works

Almost 20% who are diagnosed with depression struggle with it for the rest of their lives. The good news is that the medical profession has a new tool to treat MDD for those whom traditional treatment doesn’t work.

Transcranical magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a gentle treatment using electromagnetic energy. It’s been approved by the FDA since 2008 to treat clinical depression. Brief pulses of electromagnetic energy pass through a coil that Dr. Sidhu places on your forehead near the area within your brain that regulates mood. The pulses of energy penetrate your skull and activate nerve cells in the area of your brain being targeted.

TMS is a major advance from electroconvulsive therapy, an older treatment for MDD which must be done under general anesthesia and often has deleterious side effects such as memory loss and mental confusion.

TMS treatments last from 30 to 60 minutes. There’s no need for anesthesia. You feel a knock or gentle thump on your head during the procedure. TMS is a new tool, and doctors don’t have all of the answers about the most optimal way to deliver the electromagnetic pulses. However, it’s proven to be effective for many patients.

If you or a loved one suffer from major depressive disorder, you’re seeking relief from this disabling condition. Call or book an appointment online with Revîv Functional Psychiatry & TMS Wellness Center for the most advanced treatment for clinical depression available today.