You can try to take control of your thoughts, pushing away feelings of self-doubt, despair, or depression using only the power of your mind and determination. You can manage sleeplessness with meditation before bed. You can try medication support for depression or insomnia.
Talk therapy techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy help to some extent, providing you with a framework for revising your internal narratives and thought patterns. But, would you benefit more from treating your mental health concerns with direct intervention targeting the physical structures of your brain? What if you could do that nonpharmacologically, without any drugs or side effects?
At Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates of North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Dr. Dr. Ronald P. Winfield works with you to improve your mental health, reducing the intrusion of your symptoms into your life and freeing your full potential. Dr. Winfield may suggest that you undergo transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. This type of treatment noninvasively and nonpharmacologically transforms your brain function.
How could TMS treatment improve your mental health? Here are four benefits of TMS that you may not be aware of.
Psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment relieve symptoms of depression for many. However, some individuals don’t tolerate antidepressant medications well. If side effects of medication have caused you to stop taking antidepressants, nonpharmacological TMS treatment may be right for you.
TMS is largely side-effect free. Some scalp sensitivity after early sessions in your treatment sequence may occur, but you won’t need to worry about side effects like weight gain, brain fog, or suppressed emotions.
FDA-approved as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder, TMS treatment stimulates the areas of your brain that control mood regulation. Each wave of gentle magnetic energy that your TMS therapy sends through your skull registers in your brain.
Often, mental health conditions like depression and anxiety relate to problems in specific parts of your brain. Issues with brain structures and neurological activity can cause you to experience ongoing mood swings or persistent low mood, no matter what you do in your day-to-day life.
Using TMS, you can change your brain’s activity at a deep level, reducing your mental health symptoms at their source. You may need multiple treatment sessions for best results.
TMS can help with more than just depression. This treatment may also improve your insomnia, or inability to sleep well through the night. If you’ve been struggling to sleep well at night for more than a few weeks, get in touch with Dr. Winfield and learn if TMS therapy could improve your rest.
Some patients experience some scalp discomfort related to the coil that sits on your head during your treatment sessions, but, by adjusting the strength of the magnetic pulses used in your treatment, we can often reduce or get rid of even that mild issue.
During your one-hour-long treatment session, Dr. Winfield positions the coil carefully on your head, and then activates the coil with the handheld CloudTMS treatment device. Dr. Winfield remains in control of your treatment and can reduce the strength of the magnetic stimulation if needed.
To learn more about how TMS treatment could benefit you, contact Greater Lowell Psychiatric Associates, LLC online or over the phone today and schedule an appointment.
