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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffIf TMS works for you, your depression symptoms may improve or go away completely. Symptom relief may take a few weeks of treatment.
TMS may be less likely to work if:
- Your mental illness causes detachment from reality (psychosis)
- Your depression has lasted for several years
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) hasn't worked to improve depression symptoms
It's not yet known if TMS can be used to treat depression for the long term, or whether you can have periodic maintenance treatments to prevent depression symptoms from returning. The effectiveness of TMS may improve as researchers learn more about techniques, the number of stimulations required and the best sites on the brain to stimulate.
References
- Brain stimulation therapies. National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/brain-stimulation-therapies/brain-stimulation-therapies.shtml. Accessed Oct. 18, 2012.
- Hales RE, et al. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/resourceToc.aspx?resourceID=5. Accessed Oct. 22, 2012.
- Holtzheimer PE. Unipolar depression in adults: Treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Oct. 22, 2012.
- Rasmussen KG. Some considerations in choosing electroconvulsive therapy versus transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression. Journal of ECT. 2011;27:51.
- Cusin C, et al. Somatic therapies for treatment-resistant depression: ECT, TMS, VNS, DBS. Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders. 2012;2:14.
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS or rTMS). National Alliance on Mental Illness. http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Transcranial_Magnetic_Stimulation_(rTMS).htm. Accessed Oct. 24, 2012.
- Kung S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 1, 2012.
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