O’Reardon, J., Solvason, H., Janicak, P., Sampson, S., Isenberg, K., Nahas, Z., . . . Sackeim, H. (2007). Efficacy And Safety Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation In The Acute Treatment Of Major Depression: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial. Biological Psychiatry, 62, 1208-1216. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.01.018
The efficacy and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. While many studies do show that TMS is not only safe, but also has worked to minimize clinical depression (and in particular major depressive disorder (MDD)), there are still some studies that dispute this hypothesis. O’Reardon et. al. (2007) attempt to resolve these conflicting studies in this study. The intended audience appears to be other researchers as well as clinicians in the psychological field who may be looking at alternatives to treating depression when all other methods have shown little success. During a TMS procedure, an insulated coil is placed on the scalp surface and emits a time-varying current, generating a brief magnetic field. This current works on conductive mediums such as neural tissue, with the potential to modulate neural circuitry in a therapeutic …show more content…
Where you really see a difference is when you view the graphical representations of the results of this study (O’Reardon et. al., 2007, p. 1211-1213). You can see that there appears to be a benefit to using TMS to treat depression, and the fact that there was a higher remission rate with TMS may indicate effects that can be long lasting. In regards to the safety of TMS, the study found 16 serious adverse effects, with 9 of them being in the TMS group and 7 in the sham group. These adverse effects include suicidality, increased depression, and in the sham group there was a single event of suspected suicide
The efficacy and safety of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been a topic of discussion for quite some time now. While many studies do show that TMS is not only safe, but also has worked to minimize clinical depression (and in particular major depressive disorder (MDD)), there are still some studies that dispute this hypothesis. O’Reardon et. al. (2007) attempt to resolve these conflicting studies in this study. The intended audience appears to be other researchers as well as clinicians in the psychological field who may be looking at alternatives to treating depression when all other methods have shown little success. During a TMS procedure, an insulated coil is placed on the scalp surface and emits a time-varying current, generating a brief magnetic field. This current works on conductive mediums such as neural tissue, with the potential to modulate neural circuitry in a therapeutic …show more content…
Where you really see a difference is when you view the graphical representations of the results of this study (O’Reardon et. al., 2007, p. 1211-1213). You can see that there appears to be a benefit to using TMS to treat depression, and the fact that there was a higher remission rate with TMS may indicate effects that can be long lasting. In regards to the safety of TMS, the study found 16 serious adverse effects, with 9 of them being in the TMS group and 7 in the sham group. These adverse effects include suicidality, increased depression, and in the sham group there was a single event of suspected suicide