There are two nuclear options for treating depression: Ketamine and TMS; This post is about the latter.

TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Basically, it fixes depression via magnets, which is about the second or third most magical things that magnets can do.

I don’t know a whole lot about the neuroscience - this post isn’t about the how or the why. It's from the perspective of a patient, and it's about the what.

What is it like to get TMS?

TMS

The Gatekeeping

For Reasons™, doctors like to gatekeep access to treatments, and TMS is no different. To be eligible, you generally have to have tried multiple antidepressants for several years and had them not work or stop working. Keep in mind that, while safe, most antidepressants involve altering your brain chemistry and do have side effects.

Since TMS is non-invasive, doesn’t involve any drugs, and has basically [...]

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Outline:

(00:35) TMS

(00:38) The Gatekeeping

(01:49) Motor Threshold Test

(04:08) The Treatment

(04:15) The Schedule

(05:20) The Experience

(07:03) The Sensation

(08:21) Results

(09:06) Conclusion

The original text contained 2 images which were described by AI.

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First published:
October 31st, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/g3iKYS8wDapxS757x/what-tms-is-like

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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