Patient Guide

How to get TMS treatment

Thank you for choosing VisionTMS. To begin your course of VisionTMS treatments, you will need a referral from your GP or psychiatrist. This is because your healthcare team knows your medical history and can communicate this to us in a referral letter, which ensures we optimise your TMS treatment. You may be eligible for Medicare cover.

We also recommend visiting our Patient page, featuring helpful FAQs.

people

What happens in the lead-up to my first treatment course at VisionTMS?

1. Referral

We review your TMS referral from and can liaise with your referring clinician if we have any questions.

2. Planning

Our TMS Coordinator ensures your circumstances are catered to. They guide and prepare you for the next few weeks. We want to plan the most convenient TMS pathway with you.

3. TMS Dosing

A dosing session with a TMS-trained consultant psychiatrist ensures that the TMS machine provides the appropriate dose of magnetic energy for you as an individual, as everyone’s optimal level is slightly different.

4. MRI-Guided Brain Mapping

We specialise in enhancing TMS by utilising Brain MRI to improve precision. MRI is a brain scan that uses magnetic fields rather than X-Rays (it uses magnetism like TMS but to map your brain rather than stimulate it). This identifies the precise brain location where to direct the narrow beam of magnetic energy created by the TMS machine to stimulate your relevant brain cells. This process will optimise your treatment individually, as everyone’s brain is slightly different.

5. TMS Course

The initial treatment course is given over 4 weeks (20 sessions).

A brief non-invasive procedure called neuronavigation is provided at the same session as the first treatment. A radiographer will use advanced camera tracking technology to match the surface of your head with your brain MRI. This will ensure that the TMS magnetic coil is precisely positioned on your scalp for all your treatments.

A further 15 treatments may be spaced out, because gradually weaning may reduce the risk of relapse.

A retreatment course will typically involve a further 15 treatments being offered, as some people relapse, on average 4 months after the initial course.

To prevent relapse, a booster course can be given every few months, administered over 1-2 weeks.