By: W. Scott West, Medical Director
April is National Counseling Awareness Month. This month, we take time to recognize all of the mental health professionals who dedicate their lives to helping others thrive and all those brave enough to seek the help they need.
Depression is one of the leading mental illnesses among adults in America and worldwide. While depression is common, it deserves to be taken seriously and addressed with efficient and effective treatments. Unfortunately, according to the World Health Organization, up to 85% of people who suffer from it don’t get the treatment they need.
There are many barriers to treatment, our own preconceptions and fears included. It can be hard to ask for help, and it can be discouraging to keep looking for support if you’ve tried before and found previous therapies unsuccessful.
When most people think of counseling, they think of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also called talk therapy. CBT can help you develop tools to cope with stress and can be a safe space to express yourself and explore healing. Oftentimes, medication is paired with CBT to alleviate depression. While talk therapy and medication are two of the most common treatments for depression, they aren’t the only pathways or even necessarily the most effective toward healing available.
In my line of work, I have met and worked with many people with depression. It is my passion and purpose to help them find relief and joy. At Nashville NeuroCare Therapy, we specialize in helping you manage and treat your depression with TMS Therapy. TMS, or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is an innovative therapy that treats depression by using magnetic technology to stimulate areas of the brain that have low metabolic activity or, in other words, aren’t working to their full potential. TMS Therapy is a 100% medication-free treatment option.
With 30+ years of experience in clinical depression, I have dedicated more than of decade of my profession to using TMS Therapy for depression treatment among my patients.
We’ve learned that the brains of people with depression and the brains of people without depression look and function differently. Most notably, centers that regulate mood aren’t as active in a depressed brain. TMS Therapy helps encourage your brain to heal itself by building and strengthening the neural networks that help control your mood and behavior. This offers real, lasting relief from depression.
While “stimulating the brain with a magnet” might sound a little intimidating, TMS Therapy is not to be confused with electroconvulsive therapy, aka “shock therapy.” TMS Therapy does NOT apply electricity to your brain, and it does not induce seizures. TMS Therapy is completely comfortable and safe, perfectly natural, and offers no adverse drug-like side effects. Most private and public health insurances cover TMS Therapy. Plus, the American Psychiatric Association even recommends TMS Therapy as a great alternative to antidepressants if your medications aren’t working for you.
If you aren’t finding relief from your depression through talk therapy or medication alone, talk to your doctor about TMS Therapy. Treatment for depression is not one size fits all, and there is hope for you. If you’d like to learn more about TMS Therapy and how it could help you or somebody you love, feel Book Free TMS Therapy Screening or Request a Consult with our office. We’d love to see if TMS Therapy is a good fit for your path to healing.
