A survey of patient acceptability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during pregnancy

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 129; no. 1; pp. 385 - 390
• Main Authors: Kim, Deborah R, Sockol, Laura, Barber, Jacques P, Moseley, Marian, Lamprou, Lisa, Rickels, Karl, O'Reardon, John P, Epperson, C. Neill
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acceptability; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Data Collection; Depression; Depressive Disorder - complications; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Depressive Disorder - therapy; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Medical sciences; Mood disorders; Odds Ratio; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Patient Education as Topic; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - psychology; Pregnancy Complications - therapy; Pregnant women; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotherapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - psychology; Treatment; Videotapes; Women; Young Adult; Pregnancy; Depression; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Treatment; Acceptability; Mood disorder; Human; Survey; Central nervous system; Encephalon
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.08.027

Abstract Objective Given the data that depression is common during pregnancy and that pregnant women prefer non-medication treatment options, we hypothesize repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may be a treatment option. Given the novelty of TMS, we sought to assess whether patient acceptability would be a barrier to enrolling pregnant women in TMS studies. Methods In Study 1, 500 pregnant women were surveyed in an outpatient, urban obstetrics clinic using the Edinburgh Depression Rating Scale (EPDS) and a treatment acceptability survey. In Study 2, 51 women were surveyed with the EPDS and acceptability survey using an informational video to increase participant knowledge about TMS. Results Approximately 25% of participants had an EPDS score of ≥ 12 in both studies. Psychotherapy was identified as the most acceptable treatment option. TMS was considered an unacceptable treatment option to virtually all women before the informational video. After the video, 15.7% considered TMS an acceptable treatment option. Conclusion Psychotherapy is the most acceptable treatment option for depression to pregnant women. Increasing participant knowledge about TMS increased its acceptability significantly. Large-scale multi-center trials are needed for confirmation of these results.