TMS Therapy
What is TMS?
How can TMS help?
Rapid symptom improvement
Many patients report feeling better after just a few sessions.
Long-term mood stabilization
Studies demonstrate sustained remission in a significant number of patients
Enhanced cognitive function
By targeting key brain regions, TMS can improve attention, memory, and executive function.
Boosted quality of life
Boosted quality of life. Relief from depression often restores motivation, relationships, and overall well-being.
Insurance Verification and Treatment Coordination
At Gatlin Psychiatric Services, Sarah Thomas, Office Administrator, helps guide patients through the administrative process before treatment begins. Sarah works closely with the TMS team to verify insurance benefits, assist with prior authorizations when required, and provide clear information about any anticipated out-of-pocket costs. Our goal is to ensure you understand your coverage and treatment expenses before starting care.
A closer look at TMS
What to Expect from TMS Treatment
1. Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
Kristine Gatlin, APRN, will complete a thorough psychiatric evaluation to assess your symptoms, review your treatment history, confirm an appropriate diagnosis, and determine whether TMS is a suitable treatment option. This evaluation helps create a personalized treatment plan based on your individual needs.
2. Motor Threshold Mapping
Before treatment begins, your individualized stimulation level is determined by identifying the area of the brain associated with thumb movement. This process helps establish the optimal treatment settings and target locations specific to your treatment protocol. The initial mapping appointment typically lasts about 90 minutes.
3. TMS Treatment Sessions
During each session, you will relax comfortably while the TMS coil is positioned against your scalp. The magnetic pulses are delivered to targeted areas of the brain associated with mood regulation and symptom improvement. You may feel a tapping sensation on your scalp and hear clicking sounds during treatment, and ear protection is provided. You remain awake and alert throughout the session, and many patients choose to read, listen to music, or use their phones.
4. Return to Your Daily Activities
TMS therapy does not require anesthesia or sedation, so there is no recovery period. Most patients return immediately to work, school, family responsibilities, or other daily activities after each treatment session.
Maintenance and Follow-Up Care
The TMS Dip
Not everyone experiences a TMS dip, but for those who do, symptoms typically improve as treatment continues. Understanding that this temporary setback can be part of the treatment process helps many patients stay on track with their therapy. At Gatlin Psychiatric Services, Kristine Gatlin, APRN, closely monitors progress throughout treatment and provides support to help patients navigate any changes in symptoms along the way
Explore TMS by diagnosis
The role of TMS differs by diagnosis and by individual treatment history. These guides explain how it may fit into a broader care plan.
Depression
Learn how TMS may support adults with major depressive disorder when antidepressant treatment has not provided sufficient improvement.
Explore depression careOCD
Understand the role of TMS as an adjunctive option for eligible adults living with persistent obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Explore OCD careAnxious depression
See how treatment may address depressive symptoms when significant anxiety is also part of the clinical picture.
Explore AD careA consultation can clarify your options.
TMS may be considered when symptoms remain disruptive despite appropriate medication or therapy, when side effects make treatment difficult, or when a non-systemic outpatient option is preferred.
Eligibility depends on your diagnosis, medical history, prior treatment, and insurance requirements. A clinical evaluation is the right place to begin.
Start the conversation
Frequently asked questions about TMS
Clear answers about treatment, appointments, side effects, and coverage.
What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?
TMS is a noninvasive, prescription treatment that uses focused magnetic pulses to stimulate brain networks involved in mood regulation. It does not require anesthesia or sedation, and you remain awake throughout each outpatient session.
How does TMS work?
A treatment coil placed against the scalp delivers repeated magnetic pulses to a carefully mapped brain target. Those pulses influence nerve-cell activity and, over a course of treatment, may help strengthen healthier communication within the brain networks related to mood or obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
What happens during a TMS appointment?
You sit in a treatment chair while the coil rests against your scalp. You may hear clicking and feel tapping at the treatment site, but you stay awake and can leave as soon as the session ends. There is no anesthesia, recovery room, or driving restriction.
How long does a typical TMS treatment course take?
The schedule depends on your diagnosis and individualized protocol. Many courses involve weekday sessions over about six to seven weeks, with individual appointments commonly lasting about 19 to 37 minutes. Your clinician will confirm the exact plan before treatment begins.
What are the most common side effects of TMS?
The most commonly reported effects are temporary scalp discomfort or a mild headache, especially early in treatment. These symptoms often lessen as the course continues. TMS does not circulate through the bloodstream, so it does not cause the systemic side effects commonly associated with antidepressant medications.
Does insurance cover TMS therapy?
Many commercial insurance plans and Medicare cover TMS for eligible patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, usually with prior authorization. Coverage for other diagnoses varies by plan. We accept most major insurance plans, including Blue Cross & Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare, Medicaid, VA Community Health, VA Optum Tricare, and Triwest. If you do not have insurance or if your plan is out-of-network, we offer self-pay options, including Care Credit.
Our care team can verify benefits and explain expected costs before treatment begins.
Ready to learn whether TMS fits your care plan?
Talk with Gatlin Psychiatric Services about your symptoms, previous treatment, and next steps.
Schedule a consultationThe NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System is indicated for the treatment of depressive episodes and for decreasing anxiety symptoms for those who may exhibit comorbid anxiety symptoms in adult patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and who failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from previous antidepressant medication treatment in the current episode.
The NeuroStar Advanced Therapy system is intended to be used as an adjunct for the treatment of adult patients suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is only available by prescription. A doctor can help decide if NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is right for you. Patients’ results may vary.
Visit neurostar.com for full safety and prescribing information.