Question 1

Major Depressive Disorder

Accepted Answer

Major depressive disorder (MDD), commonly called depression, is a mental disorder that significantly impacts a person’s life with the overwhelming feeling of being sad, empty, and an overall lack of hope. When this lasts at least two weeks along with low mood, which is present across most situations, it impairs your way of life. It is often accompanied by low self-esteem, loss of interest in things you used to love, low energy, and pain without a clear reason. MDD can happen without warning, without a trigger, and is not your fault. When used for MDD, TMS finds the nerves in the brain that are slow and sluggish, and energizes them back into action.

Question 2

Treatment-Resistant Depression

Accepted Answer

Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) is a term used when there is a poor response to medication. A poor response can be from either the medication itself not actually providing the lifting of the depression, or the side effects are unacceptable. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was developed to address TRD by stimulating the depressed part of the brain that has resisted medications, reviving those connections.

Question 3

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Accepted Answer

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety-based condition recognized as its own unique mental health disorder. OCD is defined as obsessive thoughts and the compulsive actions taken in an effort to stop the anxiety that occurs as a result of the constant worrying over these obsessive thoughts. A common theme of OCD is being overly concerned with one specific area of typical life: such as cleanliness, thinking about doing a forbidden thing, needing everything to be “just right”, or focusing on a bad thing happening. TMS technology focuses on the parts of the brain that are sending obsessive signals and slows them down.

Question 4

Anxiety

Accepted Answer

Anxiety is defined as an increased feeling of poor anticipation over a perceived threat. It is often characterized as fear, a racing heart, feeling on edge, and even anger. Sometimes this is normal, such as when one is caught in a dangerous situation. When the danger is gone, the anxiety leaves. Other times, this is triggered for no reason at all. The result can be unbearable. TMS helps to quiet the nerves in the brain that are screaming that a person is in danger, effectively calming them back to their regular patterns.

Question 5

Postpartum Depression

Accepted Answer

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a mood disorder than can affect mothers and fathers after the birth of a child. While there is not a lot of data on paternal PPD, studies has shown that up to 25% of dads will be affected. Further, it’s more common for the second parent to develop PPD when the other has it. When one has PPD, they feel sad, empty, lack of joy and have low mood. It can start during pregnancy and increase after delivery. TMS treatment for PPD is quite similar to treatment for MDD, as postpartum depression is part of the depression family.

Question 6

Schizophrenia

Accepted Answer

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior that affects more than 3 million people per year in the US. You are not alone. TMS focuses on the area of the brain that triggers these negative symptoms and has been shown to successfully reduce them.

Question 7

Bipolar Disorder

Accepted Answer

Also known as manic-depressive illness, Bipolar Disorder causes severe unusual shifts in mood, energy and functionality. Though it typically starts in early adulthood, it’s not uncommon for it to begin in childhood or even later in life. This is a long-term illness and must be managed throughout a person’s life. By repeated stimulation to the reward center of the brain, TMS increases symptom free time, greatly improving a patient’s quality of life.

Question 8

PTSD

Accepted Answer

After a life threatening or altering event, severe anxiety may present itself. This is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is common in combat veterans, with 30% of Vietnam War veterans suffering from it. The treatment with TMS is similar to the treatment done with conventional anxiety, using slower pulses on an area of the brain specific to anxiety.

Question 9

Parkinson’s Disease

Accepted Answer

Parkinson’s is a disorder of the central nervous system that worsens over time. It is characterized by loss of motor function, like the inability to flex your fingers, or sudden movements, called tremors. This is caused by abnormal functioning of a specific area of the brain. By magnetically stimulating that area of the brain in a method specific to the treatment of Parkinson’s, significant improvement can be achieved.

Question 10

Alzheimer’s Disease

Accepted Answer

Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that causes severe loss of working memory, language, decision making, attention and long term memory in the older population. It is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse in time, sometimes starting with forgetting simple things, eventually getting to loss of complex skills (driving) and impaired judgement. After treatment with TMS, a clear improvement is seen in visual memory, decision making and being oriented to space and time.

Question 11

Migraine Headaches

Accepted Answer

Migraines are severe headaches that can include changes in vision and visual disturbances, difficulty speaking and word finding, sensitivity to light and sounds, and nausea and vomiting. Migraines can be debilitating, keeping people from their daily activities. TMS treatment studies have shown very promising results in the reducing the number of headaches, how long they last and how intense they feel.

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