Relatively new Interventional Psychiatric techniques are showing considerable promise for alleviating anxiety. Patients are increasingly seeking out Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Ketamine infusions. In particular, patients who have proven to be treatment-resistant to conventional antidepressant medications and modalities have been finding success with these alternate modalities.
The broad clinical concept of anxiety encompasses a range of maladaptive behaviors and somatic sensations. Common forms of adult anxiety include social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and agoraphobia.
TMS: A Non-Invasive Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
Cirillo et. al. published a research study in Brain and Behavior in 2019 on the use of TMS for patients with generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study concluded that TMS may be an effective treatment method for both of these disorders.
For anxiety disorders in general, there is promise for TMS to help modulate brain signals that can contribute to hyperactive or hypoactive behaviors. New Frontiers Psychiatry is also proud to offer TMS as a treatment for depression and OCD.
Ketamine for Lasting Relief from the Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Yale Medicine studies on ketamine have lauded the drug for its ability to get brain connections to regrow. The difference between ketamine and other drugs is that it is the body’s reaction to ketamine that stimulates its effect as opposed to the presence of the substance itself.
Anxiety can occur as a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, environmental factors, substance abuse, or a combination of more than one single factor. Anxiety can produce an array of symptoms, including fatigue, trembling, and fearfulness. Symptoms that persist for six months or longer can contribute to a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.
Ketamine infusions can be particularly effective for anxiety disorders for a couple of reasons:
- Ketamine treatments are administered over a short period of time, and unlike prescription drugs, it does not need ongoing dosage monitoring.
- Ketamine has also shown to produce minimal or no side effects for most people, leaving them with more energy for daily activites.
Interventional psychiatric techniques used to alleviate different forms of anxiety have historically focused on antidepressant medications. TMS and ketamine are gradually proving that there are other, effective options for people who suffer from different forms of anxiety.