Please, tune in to Dr. Oz show on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, as he talks about TMS Therapy and its use in the treatment for depression. He might even have a demonstration of an actual patient having a TMS Therapy procedure.
TMS Therapy is a non-drug treatment for patients with Depression who do not respond to medications or experience medication side effects. We are proud to be the first and only TMS Center south of I-10 serving Victoria and the surrounding counties.
For more information on TMS, please visit our website www.victoriaTMScenter.com or call us at (361) 582-5678.
October is National Depression Awareness Month! Approximately 14.8 million American adults suffer from (clinical) Depression in any given year.
Persistent depression can interfere with a person’s health and social well-being, affecting normal day-to-day activities. The first step to recovery is recognizing the causes and symptoms of depression. Although overcoming depression takes time, it can be possible by making positive choices for yourself and drawing on support from the people around you.
The following are some tips to help you cope with depression:
- Set realistic goals. Start with a few small goals, and build from there. Everyone has different abilities. Try to identify your strengths and improve on your weaknesses, and focus on your positive accomplishments.
- Think positively. Try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Socialize with positive people who look on the bright side of things, and try to embrace their optimism.
- Do not isolate yourself. Ask friends and family members for help, or join a support group in which you can share experiences with others who have depression. Participate in social activities, even if you do not feel up to it.
- Do things that you enjoy or used to enjoy. Go out with friends; take trips; express yourself through art, music, or writing; take up a hobby; or play sports. Even if your depression does not dissipate immediately, you will gradually feel better as you make time for enjoyable activities.
- Maintain healthy lifestyle habits. Eat a healthy diet, exercise, and get a sufficient amount of sleep.
- Manage stress. Identify stressors in your life, and avoid them or minimize their impact. Practice relaxation techniques, such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation, or muscle relaxation.
Know when to get help. If symptoms of depression persist or become worse, do not hesitate to get professional help.
No! TMS Therapy uses a much more refined and safer way to stimulate brain regions that are affected by depression.
“Shock Therapy,” or ECT, uses the application of electricity on the scalp, with the goal of inducing a seizure throughout the brain and thus “rebooting” all the brain circuits. Side effects have somewhat improved over the years, but there are still some cognitive side effects, with memory loss, as well as the risk of anesthesia as a patient needs to be under anesthesia and their muscles paralyzed. There is some recovery time (after each session) and the need to have a driver to drive the patient home. Because of its side effects, ECT is considered a "last resort" treatment. It does carry a lot of "stigma," but it can be life-saving in emergency situations.
In TMS Therapy, the procedure does not require sedation or anesthesia. Patients are awake and alert and upon completion of the session, about 37 minutes later, they can drive themselves back to work or school. It involves the application of a magnetic pulse to a specific brain region, called the prefrontal cortex or PFC, to gently stimulate brain neurons. It is like a “soft reboot” of specific brain circuits, without any loss of memory or other serious side effects.
TMS Therapy is not a “last resort” treatment like “shock therapy,” and it has actually been approved by the FDA and assigned by the APA Treatment Guidelines for Depression as a 2nd line therapy (after failure of at least 1 antidepressant given at high enough dose, for long enough period).
For more information on TMS Therapy, please contact us at Victoria TMS Center. You can visit us at www.vtmsc.com or call us at (361) 582-5678.
