Anxiety disorders, including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), affect roughly 10% of US adults each year and often co-occur with depression. While TMS is best known for treating depression, growing clinical evidence supports its use for severe anxiety as well.
Current FDA Status
The FDA has cleared TMS for major depressive disorder with comorbid anxious depression, meaning patients suffering from both depression and significant anxiety symptoms simultaneously. TMS is not yet FDA-cleared as a standalone treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, but many clinics use it off-label for anxiety based on substantial research support.
What the Research Shows
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology analyzed six randomized controlled trials of rTMS in adults with GAD. The pooled effect size was a standardized mean difference of -1.857, which is considered a large clinical effect. For context, most psychiatric treatments aim for an effect size above 0.5 to be considered meaningful.
A larger 2025 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research expanded the evidence base by analyzing 29 randomized controlled trials. It found that rTMS combined with medication was significantly more effective than medication alone for GAD symptoms, and that no serious adverse events were reported. The authors concluded rTMS could be an effective and safe treatment for GAD, while noting that more rigorous trials are still needed.
Why Patients Consider TMS for Anxiety
Standard anxiety medications like SSRIs and benzodiazepines can produce sedation, cognitive fog, dependency, or sexual side effects. TMS is non-invasive, non-systemic, and doesn't carry those risks. For patients whose anxiety hasn't responded to first-line treatments, or who can't tolerate the side effects, it offers a different path.
Find a TMS Clinic Offering Anxiety Treatment
Search our directory to find clinics offering TMS for anxiety in your area. Because anxiety treatment is typically off-label, ask each clinic about their specific protocol and whether your insurance will cover it.
Sources
- Parikh TK, et al. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2022. Link
- Jiang B, et al. Effectiveness and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for generalized anxiety disorder: A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2025. Link