Screening of patients before treatment of TMS consists of several steps:

1. Check to see if the patient has had the required prior workup:

• CT, MRI, Neurology consult and/or Orthopedic consult certifying that there are no malignant processes (cancer) or other serious or life-threatening diseases that needed to be treated (if your TMS symptoms are primarily physical).

2. Check to see if the patient has the common TMS personality traits:

• Perfectionism - do you carefully organize your closets or desk or do others believe that you do?
• Goodism - do you like to do good for others? Do you seek the approval of others?
• Unhappy childhood - strict parents or picked on by the other kids?
• Strong life stressors - are you under a lot of stress?
• Do you have a fear of aging or mortality if your symptoms began later in life.

3. Check the patient for openness to TMS therapy:

• Are you willing to accept that something other than a physical problem may be the cause your TMS symptoms?
• Could you accept that underlying emotions may be contributing to your physical pain?

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