TMS Therapy for depression
If you or a loved one is suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD), TMS Therapy can be a great alternative to traditional talk therapy or medication.
10
locations
75,000+
TMS sessions
Serving NY since
1996
★
4.8
rating
THE SCIENCE
Understanding TMS as a treatment for depression
TMS therapy is generally for those who've found little success using medications or therapy to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) — and that's a more common problem than most people realize.
Ages 15-44
are the group most affected — depression is the leading cause of disability among this age range in the U.S.
Two-thirds
of people don't get relief from the first antidepressant they try.
Treatment-resistant depression
is what many are left facing when standard treatment doesn't work.
ECT or TMS
are the two established next steps once medication alone isn't enough.
Detailed Comparison
TMS vs. ECT
ECT
TMS
Requires general anesthesia for each session
No anesthesia or sedation; you're fully awake and alert throughout
Induces a brief, controlled seizure to treat symptoms
No memory loss or cognitive side effects commonly associated with ECT
Requires a recovery period - you cannot drive yourself home
Outpatient, in-office sessions - no hospital stay required
Common side effects: temporary memory loss, confusion, and disorientation
Drive yourself to and from every appointment
Typically 6–12 sessions, often 2–3 times per week
Return to normal activities immediately after each session
Used when TMS or medication hasn't worked, or when rapid relief is urgently needed
Mild scalp discomfort or headache during first few sessions, generally easing over time
FDA-cleared for severe depression and certain other psychiatric conditions
Roughly 36 sessions over 6–9 weeks; FDA-cleared for Major Depressive Disorder and OCD
THE MECHANISM
How TMS works on the brain
The root cause
Depression is linked to reduced activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex - the region responsible for regulating mood - along with imbalances in serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
How TMS helps
TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate this underactive region, helping restore healthier neurotransmitter activity and easing symptoms of depression over the course of treatment.
Is TMS Therapy right for you? Find out today!
A free consultation is all it takes to know for sure - no commitment, no pressure, just answers. Most patients are seen within the week.
UNDERSTANDING TMS
Everything you need to know
What happens during a TMS session
Treatment is performed while the patient
is fully awake
TMS doesn’t require any anesthesia and can be performed while the patient is fully awake. There is no need to arrange for someone to drive you home after an appointment unless you prefer someone else to drive after the first treatment just to see how you’re feeling
TMS will target the pathophysiology of depression
TMS uses high-frequency electromagnetic induction over the left DLPFC to treat behavioral dysregulation in patients with major depression.
Each TMS treatment lasts between
19 and 37 minutes
TMS requires a series of treatment sessions to be effective.
What happens during a TMS session
1. Get Comfortable
Sit back in a chair; listen to music, read, or watch TV during treatment.
2. Find Your Position
Your doctor identifies the right spot on your head for stimulation.
3. Begin Stimulation
A coil delivers clicking pulses, with brief pauses between. Some feel a light tapping sensation.
4. Calibrate Your Dose
Pulses increase until your fingers twitch slightly; this sets your ideal dose.
5. Return to Your Day
Get up and go, with no impact on memory or sleep.
Results & effectiveness of TMS for depression
Over 80% of people with Major Depression Disorder who didn’t receive the benefits from medication therapy experience a clinically meaningful response with TMS. Over 50% of those same people have a full remission, meaning that their depression went away completely.
If later on, you begin to experience symptoms of depression again, there is a process of re-induction that you can go through. It simply means doing the treatments over again to activate the underactive region of your brain again. TMS patients that come back for treatment have reported that their remission has lasted for years.
LOCATIONS
Care close to home, across New York
With 10 locations across the Hudson Valley, Westchester, Long Island, the Capital Region, and Central New York, Clearwave care is closer than you may think.
Ready to feel like yourself again?
Most new patients are seen within the week.