Treatments Aren't Working for My Depression: Can You Help?

When the dark clouds of depression are looming, having an effective treatment plan that can help you battle the feelings of sadness and hopelessness and manage day-to-day life is vital. 

For many people, finding the right combination of medication and talk therapy techniques is the key to optimal mental and emotional health. 

However, for two-thirds of those living with depression, the first antidepressant they try isn’t successful. For another third, multiple medications aren’t enough to make their depressive symptoms manageable. 

When depression doesn’t respond to traditional treatments, it’s referred to as treatment-resistant depression, which can be scary for those living with a severe form of this mental health condition.

If you have treatment-resistant depression, you may be wondering what to do next. 

Our team at RapidRecovery TMS in Wilmington, North Carolina, wants you to know that modern-day technology has created an innovative solution to provide effective relief for those living with treatment-resistant depression: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. 

Let’s explore how TMS therapy works for treatment-resistant depression in this month’s blog. 

Depression and your brain

Before we explore how TMS therapy works, it’s helpful to first understand how depression affects your brain.

Your brain contains several types of neurotransmitters — chemical messengers that send messages between the neurons in your brain. For many years, experts believed that depression was caused by abnormalities in the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. 

However, more recent research has suggested that abnormalities in the glutamate neurotransmitters, which regulate mood and emotion, are more likely to be to blame for the development of depression. 

The science of TMS therapy 

TMS therapy is a noninvasive form of brain stimulation therapy. It sends magnetic pulses to your brain using an electromagnetic coil placed on your head. 

TMS therapy relies on the fact that your brain is electrically active, continually sending neurons and chemical messages that contribute to your physical, mental, and emotional functionality. 

When the electromagnetic coil sends magnetic pulses, they can communicate with the neurons in your brain. They excite neurons that aren’t active enough or slow down neurons that are overactive. 

TMS therapy for depression

When you take antidepressants to manage your depressive symptoms, the medications help regulate your mood and allow your brain to form new connections, making it possible for you to practice coping mechanisms that you learn during talk therapy sessions. 

However, if the medications don’t offer any noticeable results, putting management strategies into place might be challenging.

TMS therapy seeks to regulate neurotransmitters in your brain that are making depressed moods and unmanageable emotions difficult to move past. By regulating the chemical message in your brain, coping in daily life won’t feel quite so overwhelming.

To learn more about TMS therapy and other treatments for treatment-resistant depression, schedule an appointment with our team by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.