Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Victory is excited to announce that we now offer TMS therapy for refractory depression and depression with anxiety initially in the Farmingville center. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression. TMS is typically used when other depression treatments haven't been effective. This treatment for depression involves delivering repetitive magnetic pulses, so it's called repetitive TMS or rTMS.

During a TMS session, an electromagnetic coil is placed against your scalp near your forehead. The electromagnet painlessly delivers a magnetic pulse that stimulates nerve cells in the region of your brain involved in mood control and depression. It's thought to activate regions of the brain that have decreased activity in depression.

Though the biology of why TMS works isn't completely understood, the stimulation appears to impact how the brain works, which in turn seems to ease depression symptoms and improve mood. Due to its success in helping patients suffering from depression, TMS is becoming more widely utilized and gaining in popularity. This therapy is offered by the psychiatric staff for patients that meet the specific criteria.

TMS sessions are 19 minutes long and consist of treatments 5 days a week for 6-7 weeks. This service is unique to Victory in so far as TMS is not offered at any other outpatient recovery center in our area.