TMS Therapy



What is TMS Therapy?

Tran­scra­nial Mag­net­ic Stim­u­la­tion (TMS) Ther­a­py is a sim­ple, FDA-cleared, drug-free option for patients suf­fer­ing from severe depres­sion. It is a safe, break­through treat­ment that is proven effec­tive for patients who have failed to achieve sat­is­fac­to­ry improve­ment from anti­de­pres­sant med­ica­tions. For over 25 years, TMS has been used to research the treat­ment of depression.

Depres­sion is a major pub­lic health issue that affects mil­lions of Amer­i­cans every year. Accord­ing to the U.S Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol & Pre­ven­tion, anti­de­pres­sants are the most com­mon­ly pre­scribed med­ica­tion in the Unit­ed States; how­ev­er, not all patients pre­scribed anti­de­pres­sant med­ica­tions achieve sat­is­fac­to­ry improve­ment. TMS ther­a­py is an excit­ing break­through for patients who have either not obtained ade­quate ben­e­fits from tra­di­tion­al anti­de­pres­sant med­ica­tions or can­not or choose not to tol­er­ate the side-effects of anti­de­pres­sant medications.

How IPD does TMS ther­a­py so dif­fer­ent­ly than most oth­er TMS centers?

IPD uti­lizes the Neu­roStar TMS sys­tem, which is the first and only non-inva­sive depres­sion treat­ment approved by the Fed­er­al Drug Admin­is­tra­tion. The Insti­tute for Per­son­al Devel­op­ment starts by giv­ing you a sec­ond opin­ion. Not only will we tell you if you need TMS, but we will also tell you if we think there is a sim­pler way to get you bet­ter. IPD has actu­al­ly giv­en many peo­ple sug­ges­tions that are much sim­pler and much less cost­ly than TMS. In addi­tion, if you do need TMS ther­a­py, we will fre­quent­ly find a way to help you get the treat­ment in a much more cost-effec­tive way then oth­er TMS centers.

How does TMS work?

TMS is a form of neu­ro­mod­u­la­tion that uses a strong, high­ly tar­get­ed, MRI-strength mag­net­ic pulse to stim­u­late nerve cells in the pre­frontal cor­tex, the area of the brain linked to mood regulation.

TMS is per­formed on an out­pa­tient basis and is pre­scribed and super­vised by a psy­chi­a­trist. Dur­ing the ther­a­py ses­sion, the patient is wide awake, requires no form of anes­the­sia and is seat­ed in a com­fort­able chair, much like a dentist’s chair. A small, curved device rests gen­tly on the patient’s head, deliv­er­ing rapid, focused mag­net­ic stim­u­la­tion. After­ward, patients are able to return to their nor­mal rou­tine imme­di­ate­ly after treatment.

Ben­e­fits of TMS

  • Proven safe and effec­tive for treat­ing patients with depression
  • Free of side effects that are asso­ci­at­ed with anti­de­pres­sant med­ica­tions like weight gain, fatigue, dry mouth, etc.
  • No neg­a­tive effects on mem­o­ry or concentration
  • No seda­tion or anes­the­sia necessary