TMS for Depression: How Long Do the Benefits Last?

Everyone feels blue sometimes, but if you suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, you might struggle daily with deep feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and emotional pain. If you think you could have serious depression, contact the experts at Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates LLC for diagnosis and information about your treatment options.

While treatment with psychotherapy and antidepressant medications relieve symptoms of depression for many, for others, mental health symptoms persist. If you haven’t benefited enough from psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation might be the solution for you.

At Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, we have decades of clinical experience working with patients with treatment-resistant depression. Expert psychiatrist Ronald P. Winfield, MD, specializes in TMS treatment and serves as director of TMS services with Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates. Dr. Winfield can help you determine if TMS could be right for you, and assess how long your symptom relief results can last.

How does TMS work?

If medication management hasn’t worked for your depression, or if you can’t tolerate medication due to health risks or side effects, TMS could still work for you. TMS is approved by the US FDA as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder.

When you come in for a TMS treatment, Dr. Winfield uses this innovative nonpharmacological magnetic pulse therapy to stimulate the part of your brain that regulates your mood and emotions. With the CloudTMS device, Dr. Winfield and his team are able to deliver state-of-the-art treatment.

You won’t feel the stimulation of your brain during your treatment session. But, as magnetic pulses mimic your brain’s neurons, releases of neurotransmitters are triggered. With time, TMS treatment can actually transform your brain’s activity patterns, potentially leading to decreased depression.

TMS treatment over time

Your results with TMS treatment can be long-lasting. If this treatment works well for you, you could find yourself depression-free for an extended amount of time. TMS treatment can also diminish the intensity and frequency of your depression symptoms.

It takes time to complete a full course of TMS treatment. Individual results will vary, as might be expected based on the unique challenges presented by each case of major depression. Most patients who complete TMS treatment experience relief from symptoms of depression for six months to a year. Your results could also last for more than a year.

To learn more about how TMS treatment could transform your chronic, treatment-resistant depression, get in touch with Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates today. You can schedule an appointment at our North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, office over the phone, or book online at any time.