TMS Specialist
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Orange County Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Alejandra Suzuki, MD, FAPA
Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist located in Irvine, CA
When it comes to managing mental health conditions in children and teens, many parents look for alternatives to psychiatric medication. At Orange County Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Irvine, California, Alejandra Suzuki, MD, FAPA, offers transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a treatment option for many mental health conditions. This non-invasive treatment uses pulsed magnetic fields to stimulate areas of the brain that regulate mood. To learn more about TMS, call or click the online scheduling tool to book an appointment today. All appointments are through telehealth.
TMS Q&A
What is TMS?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive therapy that delivers repetitive magnetic pulses to certain areas of the brain to stimulate nerve cell activity.
Dr. Suzuki directs the magnetic pulses to the areas of your brain that regulate mood. The painless pulses activate these areas of the brain to alleviate symptoms caused by mental health disorders like depression.
Who can benefit from TMS?
Dr. Suzuki is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and a Harvard-trained TMS specialist. She determines if your child or teen benefits from TMS after a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.
She uses TMS as an alternative to medication management for mental health conditions that affect children, teens, and adults, such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
TMS also benefits children and teens struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Dr. Suzuki only recommends TMS therapy if your child or teen’s mental health symptoms fail to improve with traditional therapies, such as medication or psychotherapy.
What happens during TMS treatments?
TMS is an in-office treatment. During your child’s TMS therapy, they visit the office about five times a week for up to six weeks. Though your child’s first TMS session may take about an hour, each subsequent session only takes 20 minutes.
With TMS therapy at Orange County Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, your child relaxes in the treatment chair and Dr. Suzuki places the special magnetic coil on their head. Your child feels a tapping sensation and hears a clicking sound during treatment.
TMS therapy is painless and well-tolerated by most patients.
After TMS treatment, your child can resume their usual activities. Some patients report a mild headache after TMS therapy, but these side effects disappear quickly.
What happens after TMS therapy?
Results of TMS therapy vary. However, many people experience a significant improvement in their symptoms and some even experience a full recovery.
No matter your child’s results, Dr. Suzuki continues to provide ongoing psychiatric care as needed. Depending on your child’s diagnosis and symptoms, she may recommend medication management and ongoing psychotherapy.
Schedule a consultation at Orange County Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to learn more about TMS and how it may benefit your child’s mental well-being. Call the office or book online today.