A 2-year follow-up study of patients participating in our transcranial pulsating electromagnetic fields augmentation in treatment-resistant depression

Jan 14, 2015Acta neuropsychiatrica

Two-year outcomes of electromagnetic pulse therapy in hard-to-treat depression

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Abstract

In a follow-up study, 13 out of 27 patients who relapsed after initial remission achieved clear remission again with repeated T-PEMF treatment.

Patients receiving repeated T-PEMF treatment showed a potential for remission after relapse.
Misdiagnostic factors were identified in patients who were harder to assess, linked to previous treatment outcomes.
Factors such as psychosocial stressors and co-morbid conditions may contribute to treatment-resistant depression.
Patients with treatment-resistant depression had a longer duration of their current episode compared to others.

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OBJECTIVE: We have made a 2-year follow-up study to evaluate the effect of repeated transcranial pulsating electromagnetic fields (T-PEMF) augmentation in patients who had achieved remission but later on relapsed, as well as to identify factors contributing to treatment-resistant depression in patients who did not respond to T-PEMF.

METHODS: Using the Longitudinal Expert Assessment of All Data approach the patients were classified in four groups: A: patients who achieved remission; B: patients with doubtful effect; C: patients with no effect; and D: patients who were hard-to-assess.

RESULTS: In group A, comprising 27 patients, 13 had relapsed; they obtained a clear remission after a repeated course of T-PEMF augmentation. In group D, comprising 16 patients, we identified misdiagnostic factors both concerning the event of remission after the previous T-PEMF augmentation and concerning the aetiology (psychosocial stressors and co-morbid conditions). Compared with the other groups, the group D patients had a smaller number of previous episodes (p=0.09) and a longer duration of the current episode (p=0.01).

CONCLUSION: T-PEMF has an effect among patients who relapsed after remission with the first series of T-PEMF. Treatment-resistant depression is a condition that has a high degree of multivariate problems. Misuse of alcohol or drugs, severe somatic disorders and other psychosocial problems may need other kinds of treatment before T-PEMF augmentation.

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A 2-year follow-up study of patients participating in our transcranial pulsating electromagnetic fields augmentation in treatment-resistant depression

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