Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is a non-invasive treatment that uses brief magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in specific regions of the brain. A coil placed against the scalp generates a magnetic field similar in strength to an MRI scanner. That field passes through the skull without surgery or anesthesia and induces small electrical currents in the cortex underneath. In depression, the target is usually the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area that tends to be underactive when mood is low. Repeated stimulation over several weeks is thought to restore more normal activity in that circuit and in the deeper structures it connects to.
TMS is FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, smoking cessation and anxious depression, with the specific clearances depending on the device. A standard course is about 36 sessions over six to nine weeks, each lasting roughly 20 minutes. You stay awake, sit in a chair, and can drive yourself home afterward. The most common side effects are scalp discomfort and headache during the first week, which usually fade. Seizure is rare. TMS is typically considered when one or more antidepressants have not worked well enough or caused side effects you could not tolerate. Stedfast Psychiatry offers Deep TMS at our Palm Beach Gardens office, and our other offices can refer you there after an evaluation.