Treatment-resistant depression, how TMS therapy actually works, how to verify your insurance, what to expect during your first session. Written for patients and families.
A practical checklist for your first TMS appointment — what to bring, what to wear, and how to prepare for the longer 60-to-90-minute first visit that includes one-time motor-threshold mapping.
How clinicians approach TMS maintenance after a successful acute course, where no schedule is FDA-cleared — the three models seen in practice (no maintenance, scheduled tapering boosters, and symptom-triggered boosters) and the factors that point a patient toward each.
What patients actually experience during and after TMS — mild, transient scalp discomfort at the treatment site, the rare seizure risk in numerical terms (fewer than 1 in 60,000 sessions), and why there is no sedation, systemic drug exposure, or documented cognitive impairment.
How long a full TMS course takes for major depression — roughly six to nine weeks of weekday sessions, about 20 minutes per visit for iTBS or 40 for standard 10 Hz rTMS — plus what makes a course shorter or longer and how the taper works.
A clinical guide to who qualifies for TMS therapy for depression: the three conditions that establish candidacy, the absolute and relative contraindications a psychiatrist screens before treatment, and the common worries — tattoos, dental fillings, current SSRI use — that are not disqualifying.
A concrete walkthrough of your first TMS therapy session — the paperwork, the one-time motor-threshold mapping that sets your dose, what the treatment feels and sounds like, and what a normal next 24 hours looks like.
Patients considering transcranial magnetic stimulation routinely ask two questions: *what does the device actually do to my brain?* and *why does that change my depression?* Both have clear, well-studied answers.
Insurance verification takes about two minutes. We'll tell you whether your plan covers TMS for treatment-resistant depression and what your cost will be — before you book anything.
Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM