TMS Therapy in the Spotlight: Tranquil TMS on PBHR for Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 (11–17 May) is here, and this year’s theme set by the Mental Health Foundation is simple but powerful: Action.

Awareness has come a long way. Most of us now feel more comfortable saying the words “depression” or “anxiety” out loud. But for the millions of people in the UK still struggling, especially those who have tried medication, therapy, or both without finding lasting relief, awareness alone isn’t enough. What changes lives is taking the next step.

That’s why this week feels particularly meaningful for us at Tranquil TMS. We’ll be live on PBHR (South Durham) this Thursday 14 May at 9:15 am talking openly about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) — a non-invasive, drug-free, NICE-recommended treatment that many people in the UK still haven’t heard of. Thursday is also Wear it Green Day, the Mental Health Foundation’s national moment to show solidarity with everyone working towards better mental health.

This article is our contribution to the conversation: a clear, jargon-free guide to what TMS is, who it helps, how it actually works, and what to expect.

Why we need to talk about treatment-resistant depression and anxiety

Around 1 in 5 adults in the UK lives with a common mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. Antidepressants and talking therapies help many people, but not everyone.

The landmark STAR*D trials (the largest study of antidepressant treatment ever conducted) found that only about 28–32% of people achieved full remission on their first antidepressant. After two or three different medications, a significant proportion of patients still hadn’t fully recovered.

If you’ve been there cycling through different SSRIs, sitting on waiting lists, trying counselling that helped briefly and then faded — you are not failing treatment. Treatment is failing you. And it’s precisely this group of people that TMS was developed for.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, the action we’d like to encourage is simple: find out what else exists. Because something else does.

What is TMS Therapy?

TMS stands for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

It’s a non-invasive medical treatment that uses gentle, targeted magnetic pulses — the same type of magnetic field used in an MRI scan — to stimulate specific areas of the brain involved in mood regulation. Most often, this is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an area that tends to be under-active in people with depression.

rTMS (repetitive TMS) is the version most commonly used clinically, where pulses are delivered in a repeating pattern over a course of sessions.

A few things to know up front:

• No medication is involved.
• No sedation, no anaesthetic, no surgery.
• You stay fully awake and alert throughout the session.
• You can drive yourself home afterwards and carry on with your day.
• It is FDA-approved, recommended by NICE (the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), and our clinic is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In short: it’s a clinically established, non-drug treatment — not an experimental one. TMS has been in mainstream use internationally since 2008.

Who is TMS Therapy for?

TMS is most commonly used to help adults living with:

• Treatment-resistant depression (depression that hasn’t responded well to one or more antidepressants)
• Anxiety disorders, including anxious depression
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Other mood-related conditions where traditional treatments haven’t delivered lasting results

It tends to be particularly suitable for people who:

• Have tried medication and felt the side effects weren’t worth the benefit
• Have completed talking therapy but symptoms keep returning
• Don’t want to (or can’t) take antidepressants — for health, lifestyle, or personal reasons
• Are tired of being told to “just wait and see”
• Are looking for an evidence-based alternative, not a quick fix

A free 15–20 minute consultation with our team will quickly identify whether you’re likely to be a suitable candidate before any commitment is made. Not everyone is, and we’ll always be honest with you if TMS isn’t the right fit.

How does TMS actually work? (In plain English)

Here’s what a course of treatment looks like in real life:

1. Free initial consultation

A relaxed 15–20 minute phone call with our team to understand your story, your symptoms, and what you’ve already tried. No pressure, no obligation.

2. In-depth assessment with a Consultant Psychiatrist

If TMS looks like a potential fit, you’ll have a comprehensive face-to-face assessment with one of our Senior Consultant Psychiatrists. This is where a tailored treatment plan is built around you.

3. The treatment sessions

You sit in a comfortable chair, fully clothed and fully awake. A small coil is placed gently against your scalp. Through it, mild magnetic pulses are delivered — most people describe the sensation as a light tapping on the head.

During the session you can:

• Listen to music
• Chat with our staff
• Read, scroll your phone, or simply rest

We offer two protocols:

• Standard protocol — sessions around 30 minutes, daily Monday to Friday, over approximately 4 weeks (minimum 20 sessions).
• Theta Burst (accelerated) protocol — an FDA-approved fast option for depression that compresses each session into just 3–4 minutes, completing the equivalent 4-week course in around 2 weeks.

4. Ongoing review and support

Progress is tracked using clinical rating scales and feedback from your treatment team, so your plan is continuously adjusted. Many patients report meaningful improvements within the first few weeks.

There’s no recovery time after a session — you walk in, you walk out, you carry on with your day.

What are the benefits of TMS Therapy?

This is where TMS quietly stands apart from many traditional options:

• Non-invasive — no surgery, no sedation, no anaesthetic.
• Drug-free — no daily tablets, no withdrawal issues, no medication side effects like weight gain, emotional blunting, or sexual dysfunction.
• Strong clinical results — international research suggests around 1 in 3 patients achieve full remission, and around 1 in 2 experience a 50%+ reduction in symptoms, with up to 75% seeing meaningful symptom reduction. That compares favourably to the 28–32% remission rate seen with first-line antidepressants in the STAR*D trials.
• Minimal side effects — usually limited to mild scalp discomfort or a short-lived headache, which typically responds well to paracetamol. Serious side effects are very rare.
• No disruption to your routine — you can drive, work, parent, and live your normal life around your sessions.
• Cognitive benefits — patients often report sharper focus, better memory, and improved energy alongside mood improvements.
• Personalised and monitored — your protocol is reviewed throughout, not set and forgotten.

We are always careful to add the honest caveat: results vary from person to person, and TMS isn’t a guaranteed cure. But for many of our patients, it has been the treatment that finally moved the needle after years of trying everything else.

Is TMS safe?

Yes — and this is one of the most common questions we’re asked.

• It does not cause permanent changes to your personality, memory, or brain structure.
• It is not ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). TMS is fundamentally different — gentler, more targeted, no sedation, no seizure induction, no memory effects.
• The risk of a seizure during treatment is extremely low (roughly 1 in 30,000), and is further reduced by our thorough screening process.
• Most patients tolerate treatment very well from the very first session.

Tranquil TMS is NICE accredited, CQC regulated, and uses FDA-approved technology — and we have been delivering this treatment from our clinic in Cheadle since February 2018, making us one of the longest-established rTMS providers in the North West.

Tying it back to Mental Health Awareness Week 2026

This year’s theme is Action, and the Mental Health Foundation has been clear: awareness is the beginning, not the destination. Real change happens when knowledge becomes a step.

Here are a few small but meaningful actions you can take this week:

1. Wear green on Thursday 14 May — Wear it Green Day — to show solidarity with everyone affected by mental illness.
2. Have one honest conversation — with a partner, friend, GP, or family member — about how you’ve really been feeling.
3. Learn about treatment options beyond medication. Knowing what’s out there is empowering, even if you choose not to pursue it.
4. Listen to our PBHR (South Durham) interview on Thursday 14 May at 9:15 am, where we’ll be answering common questions about TMS live on air.
5. Take the next step if you’re ready — book a free 15–20 minute consultation with our team. There’s no pressure, no commitment, just a conversation.

Listen in: Tranquil TMS on PBHR (South Durham)

We’re proud to be invited onto PBHR (South Durham) this Thursday 14 May at 9:15 am as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2026. We’ll be talking openly about:

• What TMS therapy is and how it differs from medication and therapy
• Who it tends to help most
• What real treatment looks like, day to day
• How to know if it might be right for you or someone you love

Tune in live, and feel free to share this article with anyone who might benefit from hearing it.

Ready to take action?

If you, or someone you love, has been quietly struggling — especially if traditional treatments haven’t worked — please don’t accept that this is “just how things are.” There is genuine, evidence-based help available, and it doesn’t involve another prescription.

Book your free, no-obligation 15–20 minute phone consultation with our team today.

📞 Call us (Call Us: 0800 193 0914) or visit tranquiltms.co.uk to get started. 📍 Tranquil TMS — based in Cheadle, serving patients from across Cheshire, Manchester, Liverpool and the wider UK.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, awareness is just the start. The action is yours to take — and we’re here when you’re ready.

Tranquil TMS is NICE accredited, CQC regulated, and uses FDA-approved TMS technology. This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual results from TMS therapy vary, and suitability is determined by a qualified Consultant Psychiatrist during assessment.