Transcranial magnetic stimulation effective, safe for postpartum depression

ATLANTA — NeuroStar transcranial magnetic stimulation showed efficacy as monotherapy 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.”

David Brock

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 nonpsychotic 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.

Mean Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores improved from 20.6 at baseline to 8.2 following treatment end.

Fourteen participants achieved symptom remission by the end of 8 weeks of treatment.

There were no serious adverse events, treatment-emergent mania or suicidal ideation, according to researchers.

The most common reason participants left the study prior to completion was difficulty complying with treatment schedule and desire to start pharmacotherapy.

“We were able to demonstrate in this open-label pilot study that NeuroStar TMS was effective as a monotherapy for the treatment of women with postpartum depression, with 73.7% (14 out of 19) of patients achieving remission of their depressive symptoms within 4 to 8 weeks of TMS treatment,” Brock said. “This study suggests TMS may be an effective nonpharmacologic alternative for the treatment of women with postpartum depression. NeuroStar TMS can allow women to receive treatment for their [postpartum depression] without the unwanted side effects of pharmacotherapy.” – by Amanda Oldt

Reference:

Brock D, et al. Effectiveness of NeuroStar transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with major depressive disorder with postpartum onset. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 14-18, 2016; Atlanta.

Disclosure: The study was funded by Neuronetics, Inc.