Understanding the 3 Basic Types of TMS

Depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder are all mental health issues that can affect anyone in their lifetime. Medications and talk therapy are typical treatments for these issues – but what if they don't work?

Treatment-resistant depression and PTSD or OCD may require a technology called transcranial magnetic stimulation. TMS therapy is a breakthrough treatment that's highly successful in relieving mental health issues that don't respond to other treatments.

Dr. Elia R. Gonzalez-Rodriguez is an experienced psychiatrist who specializes in various forms of TMS therapy. She provides TMS therapy and other treatments at her Pacific Phoenix TMS practice in Salmon Creek and East Vancouver, Washington.

The facts on TMS therapy

TMS therapy is an effective treatment for mental health disorders that utilizes magnets and electricity to influence the brain. Your brain is electrically active, and the magnet has a field around it that generates electricity when around a conductor, like your brain.

The noninvasive TMS therapy utilizes a magnet on top of your head and short bursts of the magnetic field to change electrical pathways in specific brain areas involving mood and emotion.

We turn the magnet on and off to change the electrical activity in various brain areas. The magnet is powerful, and it often takes several treatments to change one's mood and emotions long-term.

Three types of TMS therapy

TMS therapy comes in various forms, each of which targets specific areas of the brain or mental health problems.

There are three primary forms of TMS therapy, and they include:

1. Repetitive TMS

This is the type of TMS provided here at Pacific Phoenix. In rTMS therapy, repetitive pulses are in both low and high frequencies.

We also provide the FDA-approved SAINT protocol, which is an extremely fast type of TMS therapy that utilizes MRI technology to target specific areas in the brain. With MRI technology, Dr. Gonzalez-Rodriguez is better able to target the area of the brain that's causing depression or PTSD.

The SAINT protocol is an accelerated treatment option that delivers quick, short TMS sessions every day for five days. It provides significant improvements to adults with depression in less time than other forms of TMS therapy.

2. Theta-burst stimulation

Theta-burst stimulation, also referred to as TBS, is a quicker type of TMS that utilizes faster pulses, which speeds up treatment. The treatment involves three quick five-hertz (Hz) bursts, which equals 15 Hz per second. The quicker bursts make treatment go faster, which is appealing to some people with mental health issues. Some patients find theta-burst TMS more tiring or uncomfortable, but this really can vary from one patient to the next.

3. Deep TMS

Deep TMS, or dTMS, uses a specific type of coil to get to the deeper areas of the brain. A helmet coil that is shaped like an H is used to target areas that may be involved in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Which one is best for me?

Dr. Gonzalez-Rodriguez has carefully evaluated these three types of TMS and she has found rTMS to result in the least instances of side effects. Hence, all Pacific Phoenix locations provide rTMS.

Repetitive TMS and the SAINT protocol may be better options for those who require immediate treatment for depression or PTSD, or who can't tolerate other forms of TMS therapy. The SAINT protocol is an excellent choice for those in the hospital or emergency room or patients who can't tolerate a more extended treatment protocol. Unfortunately, this protocol is not covered by any insurance plans at this time, so it must be paid out-of-pocket.

Call one of our conveniently located offices in Salmon Creek or East Vancouver, Washington, today to schedule an appointment for TMS therapy, or request a consultation on our website.