TMS for Anxiety
TMS for Anxiety in Colorado Springs and Monument
How Anxiety Disrupts Everyday Life
Anxiety is a mental health disorder that creates an unreasonable sense of fear or danger from often ordinary situations. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders amplify the body’s normal reaction to stress, such as feelings of nervousness or anxiousness, into excessive fear or anxiety.
Because stress is a common part of everyday life, an anxiety disorder can cause significant disruption by creating a heightened sense of fear or anxiety from normal situations such as workplace conversations, school assignments, personal relationships, or even normally enjoyable activities that induce some level of stress.
Anxiety Can Steal Your Joy
Emily (name changed) was looking forward to meeting a group of friends for dinner. The women, now in their late twenties, had been friends since high school but had drifted apart. This dinner was the first time since high school that the entire group would be reunited.
She remembered taking extra time to choose her outfit and styling her hair to get just the right look. Her husband complimented her when she came downstairs to leave. She talked excitedly with her husband about how much she was looking forward to dinner and seeing her friends again.
And yet, when they parked at the restaurant, Emily couldn’t get out of the car. Crippling anxiety overcame her, and she couldn’t bear the thought of walking in the front door of the restaurant, let alone socializing for an entire evening.
Her anxiety had won again. Sadly, they turned around and left without even stepping foot in the restaurant, leaving her friends to enjoy the evening without her.
The link between anxiety and depression
Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand, with many individuals experiencing symptoms of both conditions simultaneously, leading to a unique phenomenon known as anxious depression. This co-occurrence can significantly complicate diagnosis and treatment approaches.
It is estimated that 60% of those with anxiety will also have symptoms of depression, with about the same number of those with depression also experiencing anxiety. [Source] Co-occurring cases of depression and anxiety are the most common co-occurrence in mental health.
How Psychiatrists Treat Anxiety
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in diseases and disorders of the brain, including anxiety. At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions in Monument and Colorado Springs, our psychiatrists treat anxiety using advanced methods such as antidepressant medication, ketamine infusions, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation).
Why TMS For Anxiety Treatment?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a groundbreaking mental health treatment for depression and anxiety. Using magnetic fields to stimulate specific nerve cells in the brain, TMS targets the regions of the brain responsible for mood regulation. Unlike medication, TMS does not involve systemic side effects and is safe for long-term use.
TMS has proven to be particularly effective at treating treatment-resistant cases of depression and anxiety. While TMS is not currently approved for treating anxiety as a primary diagnosis, it is FDA-approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder and for treating anxious depression (anxiety and depression combined).
The good news is that anxiety can often be treated alongside depression.
Best Anxiety Treatment Without Antidepressants
Many patients prefer not to use antidepressants. It may be because you don’t like the side effects of the drugs, or are tired of constantly having to take medication, or simply want a natural, non-pharmaceutical treatment program.
Patients living near Colorado Springs and Monument have access to an excellent anxiety treatment that does not use antidepressants. At Colorado Psychiatry Solutions we offer TMS treatment for anxiety: the latest, state-of-the-art anxiety treatment available.
Following a full psychiatric evaluation, you may be recommended for TMS therapy (Transcranial magnetic stimulation). TMS is a highly effective treatment for anxiety, including co-occurring cases of anxiety and depression.
Many patients prefer TMS over other anxiety treatment options because:
- TMS is non-pharmaceutical. TMS directly stimulates the brain to achieve healing; it does not use medications (such as antidepressants) to achieve relief.
- TMS is effective. TMS boasts high response and remission rates, even for patients with severe anxiety, anxious depression, or comorbid cases of depression and anxiety
- TMS is long-lasting. TMS patients continue to maintain a beneficial response long after TMS therapy has finished. Patients do not have to continually remember to take daily medication
- TMS has no systemic side effects. TMS is extremely well-tolerated. It is non-invasive, requires no anesthesia or numbing, and has no systemic side effects.
Questions and Answers About TMS for Anxiety
Is TMS for anxiety treatment approved by the FDA?
Partially. The FDA approved TMS as a treatment for anxious depression, which is a specific type of anxiety in conjunction with depression. For patients with co-occurring cases of depression and anxiety, TMS can be used to treat both conditions simultaneously. TMS for anxiety treatment alone is considered an off-label use.
Does insurance cover TMS for anxiety?
The FDA has not yet approved TMS treatment for anxiety as a primary diagnosis so most insurance companies will not cover TMS for anxiety by itself. However, in co-occurring cases of depression and anxiety, insurance coverage may be available. Only a psychiatrist can provide a complete and accurate diagnosis to determine the nature and extent of depression and anxiety.
We work directly with your insurance to obtain coverage if possible. We make every attempt to gain coverage and have had success getting hundreds of patients approved for coverage for these conditions.
Who Is a Good Candidate for TMS?
We are firm believers in TMS as an effective treatment for anxiety, depression, and co-occurring cases of depression and anxiety. To meet insurance criteria for coverage, most patients will need a primary diagnosis of depression. Anxiety can be treated effectively with TMS as an out-of-pocket treatment if insurance coverage is not available.
How To Get Started
To receive an evaluation for TMS treatment, simply schedule an appointment at one of our four convenient locations in Colorado Springs and Monument. You can call 719-622-6522 to speak with an intake specialist or enter your contact information in our online form.
