How TMS Therapy Offers an Effective and Non-invasive Solution for Anxiety
Anxiety is often associated with the intense feeling of fear, persistent worry, uneasiness, and rapid heartbeat.
In some cases, this feeling is considered a normal reaction to stress. It may arise when you face an examination, encounter issues at work, or have to make a tough decision.
Anxiety can have a positive effect on you in certain situations as it can boost your energy and enable you to focus. However, this is not the same for people experiencing Anxiety Disorder. Individuals with anxiety disorder experience a more overwhelming and long-lasting fear.
It can also get worse over time and may result in clinical depression if not properly managed and treated. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 301 million people —including 58 million adolescents and children— around the globe have an anxiety disorder.
To cut down on this rise, several accelerated TMS protocols have been developed to enhance the treatment and management of anxiety. Through this article, we will demystify TMS therapy and its effects on anxiety but before then, let us take review some of the types of anxiety
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Types of Anxiety
There are several types of anxiety which are identified based on their symptoms:
- Specific Phobia: This type of anxiety is linked with an intense fear of specific objects or situations. These phobias could be the fear of heights or water. Specific phobias can go beyond appropriate regulations and make you avoid ordinary situations.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder: With this type of anxiety, you may experience excessive worry or tension over little or no reason at all.
- Panic Disorder: This type of anxiety is often associated with the feeling of sudden and intense fear. This fear can become serious and cause a panic attack where you may notice chest pain, palpitations, and a feeling similar to a heart attack.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: This is also known as social phobia. This occurs as a result of overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about daily situations. You indulge in persistent worry about being judged or ridiculed by others.
- Agoraphobia: This is when you have an intense fear of staying in a place where you can’t escape or won’t be able to get help if there was an emergency. Numerous treatments have been put in place to help curb the effect of anxiety on health and also assist individuals by providing treatment or management of their symptoms such as Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy.
What Is TMS Therapy?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy otherwise known as repetitive Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive treatment procedure that involves the use of magnetic coils to influence the brain’s natural electrical activity.
This procedure is often applied to individuals with low responsiveness to treatment and treatment-resistant depression.
TMS therapy has shown great success in the treatment of these conditions, thereby giving hope to over a million individuals living with several mental health and brain-related conditions. It is further used in the treatment and/or management of certain mental health-related conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder, and lots more.
Mode of Operation of TMS Therapy for Anxiety
A major population of people with anxiety disorder often have a biological factor associated with it. In other words, this means that there is a specific part of their human makeup that results in the occurrence and presence of anxiety disorder.
In addition, the prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain responsible for the regulation of moods, emotions, and thoughts, is often affected which results in symptoms such as social phobia in people with anxiety disorder.
Due to the effect of anxiety on the prefrontal cortex, prescription drugs are often used to help address the abnormalities caused by this condition on that part of the brain. However, TMS therapy operates by concentrating on the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This non-invasive treatment doesn’t require sedation or any surgical procedures to work.
During this procedure, your TMS technician will place an electromagnetic coil on your head around a specific area, near the prefrontal cortex. This coil magnetic pulses through your skull to your brain to these areas, thereby, assisting in stimulating the areas of the prefrontal cortex that do not naturally activate themselves (the inability to activate themselves results in the presence of anxiety).
This procedure is repeated until your physician determines your level of wellness or relief from the symptoms. Depending on the level of responsiveness, some individuals may notice relief after their first treatment while others may require several treatments before they can notice relief.
Despite these effects, it is important to know that TMS therapy is not the usual treatment to depend on for anxiety disorder. But, this does not mean that the procedure is ineffective as TMS continues to be of daily assistance to numerous individuals in the management of their symptoms of anxiety and other mental health-related conditions.
Alternative Treatment to TMS
As stated earlier, TMS therapy is not the normal go-to treatment for anxiety. TMS therapy is mostly applied when there is unresponsiveness to other treatment methods and in cases of stubborn depression or treatment-resistant depression.
One of the alternative treatments to TMS therapy is Ketamine. Ketamine, which is basically used as anesthesia or pain relief, has shown some effectiveness in the relief of symptoms associated with anxiety.
While traditional anti-anxiety medications may begin by boosting some of the brain’s chemicals, such as serotonin before reaching glutamate, Ketamine targets glutamate fast and activates it. This often leads to a faster result.
Furthermore, some research explains that regular application of ketamine infusions for anxiety and other treatment-resistant depression has shown a reasonable level of effectiveness in the reduction of the symptoms in patients.
Electroconvulsive therapy(ECT): ECT is a treatment procedure, which, unlike TMS, is carried out under general anesthesia. In this therapy, small currents are involved in the stimulation of regulated seizure in the brain, for a brief moment. ECT is mostly used on individuals with severe mental illnesses. However, this procedure is not widely used in the treatment of mental health-related conditions.
Benefits of TMS on Anxiety
- Non-invasive solution: Unlike most treatment methods, TMS does not interfere with your normal activities. This means that after the procedure, you will not feel dizzy or tired, nor will you need assistance to drive home. Rather you will go about your life immediately.
- Little or no side effects:
Individuals who undergo TMS therapy may complain of slight discomfort on their scalp during the procedure. However, there are no systemic side effects.
- Reduces medication: Due to the effectiveness of TMS therapy, people with anxiety and other mental health-related conditions can reduce their drug intake. Excessive dependence on drugs can result in an addiction which is also detrimental to health.
Who Should Avoid TMS Therapy?
While TMS therapy is considered safe, there are certain restrictions to avoid complications, therefore this treatment is not for everyone. Some of these restrictions include, but are not limited to:
- If you have metal in your head like deep brain stimulators, electrodes, neck or brain stents, facial tattoos with metal inks, cochlear implants, permanent piercings, metal plates, and lots more. This is because the magnetic fields in TMS can react with these implants and make them heat up, which can result in serious injuries.
- If you have experienced epilepsy or seizures
- If you’re taking stimulants
- If you have any medical condition that can increase the risk of seizures. However, if you have braces or dental fillings, you CAN get the treatment.
Bottom Line
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy is effective in the treatment and management of anxiety and several mental health and brain-related conditions. It targets specific areas of the brain and stimulates them using magnetic pulses which results in relief of symptoms.
However, if you decide to undergo this treatment, it is advised that you speak to your health provider about it. And also ensure that you do not have any of the conditions that could risk you serious issues.
