Transcranial magnetic stimulation effective, safe for postpartum depression
NeuroStar transcranial magnetic stimulation showed efficacy as mono-therapy for treatment of postpartum-onset major depressive disorder in women, according to data presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
“Postpartum depression is reported to occur in 5% to 15% of postpartum women, with an incidence of up to 400,000 women affected annually. It is a significant public health concern as postpartum depression has an insidious impact on the lives of families by affecting maternal-infant bonding, breastfeeding, and the well-being of both the mother and the infant,” study researcher David Brock, MD, of Neuronetics Inc, told Healio.com/Psychiatry.
“Treatment options for [postpartum depression] are currently limited to psychotherapy, which is typically used in milder cases of [postpartum depression], pharmacotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, or commonly, no treatment at all.”
To assess efficacy of NeuroStar transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for acute treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with postpartum onset, researchers administered daily left prefrontal TMS to19 medication-free outpatient women with unipolar non-psychotic MDD with moderate symptom severity. Study participants had a mean age of 29.9 years. Illness onset occurred during the third trimester through 6 months following childbirth. Treatment ranged from 4 to 8 weeks. Participants were enrolled within 9 months following childbirth.
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