Different Treatment Methods For Depression There isn't any question that depression can be quite a crippling ailment. A person's personal and professional life can be turned upside down if they are suffering from depression. Based on the type and severity of the disorder, you will find a few different treatment options that are available. The most typical treatment for depression is prescription medication. However, many people with depression discover that medication either does not treat all of their symptoms, or has undesirable side effects. In the wake of treatments that some patients find ineffective or harmful, transcranial magnetic stimulation is proving to be a viable option. It's a relatively new approach that has recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is a completely non-invasive treatment that will require no surgery, sedation or medication. It won't have any effect on the rest of the body since it is a systemic procedure. The treatment is straightforward. It essentially provides excitement by using a magnetic field to the nerve cells in the brain, particularly in the part of the brain that regulates and governs mood. The magnetic field that's produced is comparable to the type you would find coming from an MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging device. With the patient fully conscious and lucid, an electromagnetic coil is placed over the prefrontal cortex section of the brain on the left side of the head. Neuroscience shows this to be the portion of the brain in charge of mood control. The magnetic field will hone in on this one region and will have no other effect on the rest of the brain. Tiny electrical currents penetrate the brain several centimeters and brain cells in that immediate area are stimulated. What this essentially does is stimulate the release of neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a simple outpatient procedure under a psychiatrist’s supervision, just a few things will still need to be identified so the treatment can be administered safely. These determinations are often made during the first appointment. You need to determine the exact spot the magnetic coils will be placed over, and this is performed by a technique called mapping. Mapping simply involves using tiny pulses of electric current to map the cerebral cortex. You'll also need to determine a safe but effective dosage, which is determined by upping the power of the electromagnets until the patients hand begins to twitch. This point is known as the motor threshold and is considered a point of reference for discovering the appropriate dose to begin at. You can always raise or lower the dose over the course of the treatment, according to any side effects or symptoms that were noticed. There are mild side effects to transcranial magnetic stimulation that are common, and will typically subside after the first couple of treatments. Headache and scalp discomfort are the more prevalent unwanted effects. Likewise, the magnetic stimulation might induce temporary tingling or twitching of muscles in the face. There are other uncommon side effects that may be more serious, but this occurs usually if the patient has another condition, such as bipolar disorder or perhaps is vulnerable to seizures. The doctor looking after the patient is going to be aware of these conditions, in addition to any other medication that the patient is currently taking for their depression. It is also not advised that pregnant women seek the treatment. To determine whether or not this treatment has any permanent side effects more studies will need to be conducted, although it has shown to be a safe and effective method for treating depression. If you happen to suffer from depression, consider the treatments for transcranial magnetic TMS Providers
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Different Treatment Methods For Depression stimulation as a way to help reduce the signs and symptoms. To learn more about TMS Medical Associates of New York, stop by their web site at http://www.tmsproviders.com/.
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