September 16, 2014

expert reaction to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression

Researchers have published a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, reporting a study showing a benefit for adults with depression up to a follow up-period of 12 months when transcranial magnetic stimulation was used as part of treatment.

Prof Tony Cleare, Professor of Psychopharmacology & Affective Disorders, King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), said:

“Depression is often a recurring condition, so it is important not just to get people better, but to keep them well. So what is encouraging is that the short term benefits of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) appear to last. If you do respond well to this treatment, the effect in most people doesn’t rapidly wear off.”

“However, it is important to realise that the study does not suggest that TMS is an alternative to medication or other therapies for depression.  Instead, adding to TMS to other therapies can provide additional benefit to some patients with more severe forms of depression.”

“It is also important to note that in order to maintain the benefits, almost half of patients needed additional TMS sessions, so for many it isn’t a one-off course of treatment.”

‘A Multisite, Naturalistic, Observational Study of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Patients with Pharmacoresistant Major Depressive Disorder: Durability of Benefit Over a 1-Year Follow-Up Period’ by Dunner et al. published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on Tuesday 16^th September.

Declared interests

None declared