No surgery, no implants, and you can watch TV during treatment
During October – which is both Depression Awareness Month and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Awareness Month – it’s important to understand that people suffering from these mental health conditions cannot “just snap out of it.” Fortunately, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN)’s department of psychiatry has effective treatment options that offer patients more hope. One of those is FDA-approved, noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy.
The seriousness of these conditions cannot be underestimated. Depression, for example, is much more than just “feeling sad.” Imagine feeling as though everything is hopeless. There is no joy or pleasure in life, sleeping is difficult, and it’s practically impossible to concentrate. That’s what depression, the leading cause of disability among Americans ages 15-44, feels like.
OCD, which affects one in 40 adults, can cause unwanted, intrusive thoughts or urges that lead to distressing feelings. The person then adopts certain behaviors to try to decrease their stress.
First-line treatments for depression and OCD include psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. However, for patients who experience an inadequate response from these traditional therapies alone, TMS has become an alternative treatment. Over the past decade, TMS has also emerged as a treatment option for OCD and has progressed from experimental to an accepted therapy backed by research studies showing its effectiveness.
TMS is noninvasive, meaning no surgery or implants are used. Patients are treated in an office setting in a spa-like chair. They receive an initial one-hour brain mapping and wear a cap fitted with a magnetic coil.
The therapy works by delivering powerful magnetic pulses to targeted areas of the brain specialists know are involved in depression and OCD. The pulses induce small electric currents that reset dysfunctional brain patterns, essentially regulating mood and bringing relief. During the treatment session, the patient can listen to music or watch TV.
Each treatment takes about 20 minutes total, with a complete course of treatment spanning 36 sessions. Unlike depression medications that enter the bloodstream, TMS is associated with few, if any, side effects for people diagnosed with major depressive disorder without psychotic features.
Benefits of TMS include:
As the incidence of depression and OCD increases, mental health experts are continuing to investigate new ways to help patients. For approximately one-third of those who do not respond to traditional medication, TMS has been a useful tool for treatment-resistant depression and OCD. TMS is especially helpful when paired with other treatment modalities, therapy, medication and change in lifestyle habits.
At LVHN, 55 percent of patients undergoing TMS have shown significant improvement and 30 percent have reached remission. Typically, a patient will notice the effects of TMS within the first two to four weeks of treatment. Many patients experience sustained relief for six to 12 months. Those who have a positive response to TMS can undergo another treatment episode if symptoms return.
TMS is provided on an outpatient basis, and you can self-refer for treatment. Learn more in our FAQs.
LVHN offers it at two outpatient practices:
LVPG Adult and Pediatric Psychiatry–Muhlenberg
LVPG Adult and Pediatric Psychiatry–1259 Cedar Crest.
