What Is Anecdotal Evidence?
Whenever a new treatment for some ailment comes on the market, the first thing you’re likely to hear about is anecdotal evidence: stories of people who tried the treatment and say it worked for them.
Skeptics often discount these stories because they aren’t “scientific,” meaning clinical trials were not conducted in controlled environments to prove whether the treatment works.
While it is important to look for the research behind a treatment you try for your depression, anxiety, OCD, or PTSD, anecdotal evidence still carries value because the stories frame a larger narrative.
When we observe significant numbers of people reporting positive results from a treatment, independently of each other, it forms enough collective evidence to warrant a deeper look. For those who received transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression treatment or for another mental illness, anecdotal evidence carries weight.
Why Is Anecdotal Evidence Important?
You already know there’s an abundance of scientific evidence showing the effectiveness of TMS treatments. But where’s the human element?
While clinical trials prove transcranial magnetic stimulation works for many people, they do little to show how TMS therapy can change a person’s life. Success stories—or anecdotal evidence—provide personal, first-hand accounts of someone’s experience, in all its details and features.
With a success story, you can see what a person’s life looked like before TMS and after TMS. You can learn about symptoms relieved, relationships improved, and personal victories found. You connect emotionally with stories, and that can inspire you to take similar actions. The hope you gain from success stories can be enough to help you take a leap of faith.
TMS Reviews
As one of the largest providers of TMS therapy in the U.S.A., we at Success TMS have seen MANY people recover from their depression.
Read and watch all our TMS testimonials here.
Below you’ll encounter the human side of TMS therapy. Maybe one of them will inspire you to dream about your own future free of mental illness!
Bob
After struggling for years with depression, Bob had a particularly intensive bout that lasted more than a year. Not sure what else to do, he became a TMS patient at the suggestion of his therapist.
About halfway through the treatment cycle, Bob says his “thought patterns” changed, and he no longer felt suicidal. Now feeling lasting relief, Bob says, “If it worked for me, it can work for anyone.”
John
TMS treatments gave John “more of a proactive stance on depression.” He appreciates that it acknowledges and treats the physical aspects of mental illness. John ends his testimonial by saying he would recommend TMS therapy at Success TMS to anyone.
Tony
Explaining his anxiety and depression were brought on largely by a cancer scare, Tony decided to take a chance on TMS therapy at Success TMS after trying everything else. He says that after his fourth or fifth treatment, “something was starting to spark somewhere.” He began feeling better and resuming activities he’d previously enjoyed.
Tim
Tim admits that after struggling with several major negative events in his life, he didn’t “know how to handle” what was happening. He describes the frustration many people who suffer from depression feel when they cannot manage their thoughts and emotions on their own. Additionally, he notes it was the positive things he read about the facility and treatment that gave him hope.
It Starts with Stories
There’s a reason we read online reviews before purchasing a product or visiting a restaurant. As humans, we connect with stories more than data. This is why any news article you read about transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy usually begins with a story of a patient who tried TMS as a last resort and finally got results.
Most of us don’t try something new because someone published a scientific study about it. We try it because someone we trust told us it worked for them. If the treatment works for us, we add our own story to the collection.
In the case of TMS, events proceeded much as they always do with new treatments. As more people respond to TMS success stories and try the therapy for themselves, the medical community takes notice. That’s when clinical trials come in to prove or disprove the anecdotal evidence. In 2008 the Food and Drug Administration approved (FDA) TMS for the treatment of depression.
This year it was approved to treat OCD. Anecdotal evidence often serves as early proof that a treatment works, and the studies confirm or refute those claims. Subsequent studies have now confirmed the effectiveness of TMS treatments.
Will TMS therapy be a part of your story? To find out, call Success TMS at 855-943-3232.
And check out more TMS success stories here!