Eating disorders may seem like a lifestyle choice, but it’s actually a mental health condition that can affect everything from your physical and mental health to your overall quality of life. While there are standard treatments effective for treating disordered eating, research shows there may be other approaches that have fewer risks and show greater efficacy. TMS for eating disorders is a cutting-edge brain stimulation therapy that directly targets areas of the brain thought to contribute to eating behaviors.
What Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are serious behavioral health conditions that involve disturbances in eating patterns, along with distressing thoughts and emotions that are tied to food, weight, or body image. They can affect physical and psychological health, disrupting relationships, work, school, and daily functioning. Affecting up to 5% of the population, eating disorders typically appear during adolescence or early adulthood.
Types of Eating Disorders
There are various types of eating disorders, including the following:
| Disorder | Key Features |
| Anorexia Nervosa | Extreme fear of weight gain, severe restriction of food intake. Subtypes include restricting type (dieting, fasting, excessive exercise) and binge-eating/purging type (restricting combined with purging or binge episodes) |
| Bulimia Nervosa | Cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, laxatives or over-exercising. Binges are usually secretive and leave the person feeling ashamed or out of control. |
| Binge Eating Disorder | Repeated episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food in a short time, accompanied by loss of control, but without regular purging behaviors. |
| ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) | Persistent avoidance or restriction of food, due to low appetite, sensory issues, or fear of adverse effects like choking or nausea. |
| Pica | Repeated consumption of non-food items (e.g., dirt, paper, chalk) |
| Rumination Disorder | Ongoing regurgitation and rechewing of food. |
| Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED) | Clinically significant eating problems that cause distress and impairment but do not fully meet criteria for the above categories. |
Signs and Symptoms of Disordered Eating
The warning signs of eating disorders vary depending on the condition, but some common red flags include emotional and behavioral issues, as well as physical symptoms. A person may experience:
- Intense preoccupation with body image or weight
- Avoiding meals or social settings where food is present
- Secretive eating or food rituals
- Withdrawal from friends or once enjoyed activities
- Irritability, increased anxiety, or depressed mood
- Noticeable weight loss or fluctuations
- Gastrointestinal complaints with no clear cause
- Dizziness, fatigue, or fainting
- Calluses on knuckles from induced vomiting
- Dental issues such as enamel erosion
Standard Treatments for Eating Disorders
Most eating disorder treatments require a team effort that includes medication management, nutritional support, and psychotherapy.
For those with anorexia nervosa, the first priority is restoring weight under medical supervision. Once they become stable, therapy helps them build healthier eating habits, which has been shown to improve social and interpersonal relationships, as well as self-image.
People with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder can benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) designed specifically for treating disordered eating. CBT helps people identify the cycles that lead to binge or purge behaviors and teaches practical strategies to break them.
Medication can also be a part of treatment, with SSRIs being the most commonly used. They can help address mental health struggles like depression and anxiety that may be contributing to unhealthy eating habits. However, medication works best when it’s combined with therapy and nutritional care.
Can TMS Help Treat Eating Disorders?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive therapy that uses an electromagnetic coil to send currents into targeted regions of the brain. This stimulation can either increase or decrease activity in those areas, depending on the protocol.
TMS is being studied as a potential option for people with eating disorders who don’t respond to standard treatments. Research shows that about 20-30% of patients develop a long-lasting, hard-to-treat type of illness, including eating disorders. While TMS is not yet a first-line treatment, early study results are encouraging and suggest that it could help reduce symptoms and improve recovery outcomes.
How Does TMS Help Eating Disorders?
TMS enhances neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections. Since eating disorders may be due to dysfunction in brain networks that regulate reward, decision-making, and self-control, targeting those areas may help restore normal functioning.
Most research has focused on two parts of the brain: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). These areas are usually less active or work differently in people with eating disorders compared to those without. Since these areas are responsible for decision-making and impulse control, targeting them may improve a person’s ability to resist urges and make choices that better support recovery.
In bulimia nervosa, studies show that stimulating the dlPFC can lower the stress hormone cortisol. This suggests that TMS affects thinking and behavior, as well as calms the body’s stress response. Other studies have found changes in blood flow and brain activity after a single session.
Benefits of TMS Therapy for Disordered Eating
TMS has several benefits for people with eating disorders, especially when other treatments haven’t worked. These include:
- Non-invasive treatment
- Sessions allow you to stay awake and return to normal activities right after
- Few side effects that are usually mild and temporary (e.g., headache, tingling)
- Beneficial for people who can’t tolerate medication
- May work even better when combined with psychotherapy and nutritional counseling
Risks and Considerations for TMS
While TMS is considered safe, patients should still be aware of possible risks:
- Not recommended for people with metal implants in or near the head
- Can cause scalp sensitivity or muscle twitching during treatment
- Requires multiple sessions over several weeks, which can be a huge time commitment
- Rare chance of seizure (less than 1% of cases)
Research Supporting TMS for Eating Disorders
TMS is still being researched, but there may be hope. In people with treatment-resistant anorexia nervosa, TMS has been shown to improve feeling full, increase body mass index (BMI), and reduce mood and anxiety symptoms. Some of these benefits can last up to a month after intervention.
Studies in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder have also shown promise. Patients report fewer binge eating and purging episodes, and in some cases, symptoms went into complete remission. Other findings include reductions of food cravings and improvements in depressive symptoms.
While larger trials are still needed, these early studies suggest that TMS may address not only eating behaviors but also the mood and anxiety symptoms that usually accompany the disorder.
Achieve Long-Term Recovery With TMS
Recovering from an eating disorder isn’t easy, but it’s possible with the right support. TMS offers a new path for people who haven’t found relief with traditional treatments, relieving the depression and anxiety symptoms that often accompany disordered eating.
At Pulse TMS, we combine advanced treatment like TMS with care that’s personal and compassionate. Our team understands how exhausting the restriction, bingeing, or purging cycle can feel, and we’re here to help you break it.
If you’re ready to explore whether TMS could be part of your recovery, reach out to Pulse TMS today. Let’s build a treatment plan that supports your health and your future.
Let’s Discuss Treatment Options.
