Have feelings of Depression or Anxiety been an ongoing problem for you?

Do you find that you repeatedly:

▪️feel sad, lonely, or anxious for no obvious reason

▪️have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep

▪️ have low energy and motivation

▪️have little or no appetite or can't stop eating?

▪️experience nightmares, flashbacks or repeated intrusive thoughts about prior stressful events

Perhaps you have been given a specific diagnosis, like Major Depression, Generalized anxiety disorder or PTSD

Medications and/or therapy can help. However, if you've already tried therapy and antidepressants, and you are still suffering, you may be left wondering what else can I do?

Since 2008, TMS has helped hundreds of thousands of people, just like you, who had suffered for years, or even decades with what they assumed were problems that they "just had to learn to live with"

To find out if you would be a good candidate for TMS therapy, ask yourself the following four questions.



1. Do I have a psychiatric condition that TMS treats.

TMS can treat a variety of psychiatric and medical conditions, including Depression, Anxiety, effects of Traumatic brain Injury, and memory impairment associated with Alzheimer's Disease

However, most insurances will ONLY pay for TMS if you have a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression. The exception, with "encouragement", the VA will cover the cost of TMS for chronic PTSD



2. Have You Tried Other, First-Line Treatments?

TMS is effective, but not cheap. As such, TMS is generally not considered to be a first line treatment. It is only recommended after other treatments, like medication and therapy have not proven to be effective. Most insurance companies will typically want to see a minimum of two to four ineffective medication attempts before they will pay for your TMS treatment. Your insurer may also want to see that you have tried evidence-based psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).



3. Do You Have Any Other Conditions?

Psychiatric: Many patients who get TMS have more then on psychiatric diagnosis; in addition to Depression, the most common are anxiety disorders, PTSD, personality disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. NOTE: insurance companies will NOT pay for TMS if you have a current diagnosis of a psychotic disorder or Bipolar Disorder. If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions and you feel you were misdiagnosed, Dr. Fohrman can do an intake assessment - if he determines that this diagnosis was incorrect, you may be candidate for TMS

Medical: TMS is generally very safe and can be done with almost any other chronic medical condition you may have. There are a few conditions that can make TMS treatment impossible. For example, if you have non-removable metal in your head, you are not a candidate for TMS. This includes aneurysm clips or coils, stents in the neck or deep brain stimulators. However, cavity fillings and braces are no problem.

There is less than a 0.5% chance of a seizure due to TMS treatment. Dr. Fohrman will ask you about other conditions that can increase your seizure risk, like a history of traumatic brain injuries or an active alcohol use disorder. Withdrawal from alcohol greatly increases your risk for having a seizure during or immediately after a TMS treatment. .

4. Are You Ready To Make Time For Self-Care?

TMS gets your brain biologically "unstuck;" so you can finally make the changes that you have been trying to make (e.g. be less depressed, less anxious, more motivated, spending more time with loved ones)

While individual sessions are brief and allow you to continue with your day afterward, an entire course of TMS is 5 times a week, for 4-6 weeks. But as time for self-care, it is time well spent. In fact, many patients say that stepping outside their normal routine to take this time for themselves was an unexpectedly rewarding part of their TMS treatment. At the same time, no treatment works in isolation, so you should also aim to maintain other self-care habits, such as exercise, meditation, journaling and continuing outside therapy sessions.



Is TMS Therapy Right for Me? Learn More

If you've tried several treatment strategies and are still experiencing depression, know that you are not alone and that there is hope for relief. Taking time to consider the questions posed above will help you feel more confident about your path forward, but don't hesitate to schedule a no-cost consultation with Dr. Fohrman to have more of your questions answered.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

CALL TO MAKE A FREE-15 MINUTE CONSULLTATION WITH DR. FOHRMAN CALL - 307-369-4710