Is TMS therapy like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

The two procedures are very different. However, TMS therapy could be a good alternative to treating depression for those who have undergone ECT. ECT intentionally causes a seizure; TMS therapy does not. Patients receiving ECT must be sedated with general anesthesia and paralyzed with muscle relaxants; patients undergoing TMS therapy do not. In contrast, during the TMS therapy procedure, the patient sits in a chair and is awake and alert throughout the entire procedure. No sedation is used with TMS Therapy. Recovery from an ECT treatment session occurs slowly, and patients are usually closely monitored for minutes or a few hours after a treatment. Short-term confusion and memory loss are common, and long-term disruptions in memory have been shown to occur and may persist indefinitely in some people. In studies completed to date, TMS therapy was shown to have no negative effects on memory function.