Anxiety

What should I know about anxiety disorders?

When someone feels anxious, their brain immediately responds by releasing neurotransmitters and hormones. These substances affect many systems throughout the body, energizing it to deal with the perceived threat or to quickly escape from harm.

After the threat is over, and the anxiety goes away, biochemicals return to normal — unless they have an anxiety disorder. Patients with anxiety disorders stay on high alert even when there isn’t a real threat.

Something else occurs in a state of high anxiety: the brain’s electrical activity varies from normal brainwaves. PrTMS® has the ability to restore normal brainwaves, balancing neuron activity and relieving anxiety.

What should I know about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?

OCD was once considered to be an anxiety disorder. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5, it was reclassified into its own category called obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. However, it’s common for patients with OCD to also have a coexisting anxiety disorder.

When someone has OCD, they have obsessions, which are repetitive and unwanted thoughts and feelings that they can’t control. These obsessions cause severe anxiety that compels them to do something to relieve the anxiety.

The action taken to get rid of anxiety is called a compulsion. Acting on a compulsion may relieve the anxiety, but the intrusive thoughts eventually return, and the cycle continues.

Like with anxiety disorders, studies show abnormal electrical activity in the brains of patients with OCD. Using PrTMS® to modify brainwaves can help alleviate OCD symptoms. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the marketing of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treating OCD.

What is PrTMS?

PrTMS uses TMS to treat anxiety but significantly improves on the procedure by personalizing therapy to meet the brain’s unique brainwave pattern. Our team at MindSet has developed three steps to optimize PrTMS results.

For the first step, we map brainwave activity using an electroencephalogram (EEG). Using our AI program, we can produce an accurate image of the brain’s electrical activity, allowing us to identify brain arrhythmias.

For the second step, patients complete a questionnaire that identifies symptoms, giving our team a comprehensive analysis of mental health and enabling us to target the precise brain areas that are associated with a patient’s particular challenges.

Finally, the EEG data and self-reported symptoms are evaluated by our innovative AI software. This advanced program produces the information needed to develop a customized PrTMS therapy protocol for each unique brain mapping.

What should I expect during PrTMS treatment?

Your treatment will consist of five sessions every week for 6-8 weeks. The sessions only take about 30 minutes, and when they’re over, patients can get back to normal daily activities.

Throughout treatment, patients have additional EEGs to evaluate progress and refine the PrTMS therapy. This ongoing evaluation gives our team at MindSet the ability to use the lowest possible TMS intensity to achieve optimal results. 

Most patients at MindSet experience an improvement in their anxiety symptoms within several weeks of when their PrTMS treatments begin. Though not as common, patients may notice results within a few days.

If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety, especially if the symptoms don’t respond to conventional treatments, PrTMS can help. To schedule an appointment, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.