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There is a paucity of information about repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a treatment for adolescent depression, and there are no data about its long-term effectiveness and safety in this age group. The aim of this study was to evaluate symptoms of depression and cognitive functioning in young people who had been treated 3 years previously with rTMS for resistant depression.Eight of 9 subjects who had participated in an open-label rTMS study were reassessed using the Child and Adolescent Depression Rating Scale-Revised and the Beck Depression Inventory II. Six of the subjects were also cognitively reassessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. The follow-up assessments were compared with the earlier pretreatment, inter-treatment and posttreatment assessments.At 3-year follow-up, there was no evidence of deterioration in symptoms of depression or cognitive functioning compared to the last assessment after rTMS.Preliminary evidence suggests that rTMS treatment of resistant depression in adolescents is not associated with long-term cognitive deterioration and that posttherapy clinical improvement can be maintained. It seems that some subjects may derive long-term benefit from the rTMS course.

Background Comprehensive assessment of new treatments in psychiatry should include evaluation of their acceptability to patients, and in the case of children and adolescents, this must extend to acceptability for parents. The views of young patients and their parents in relation to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for adolescent depression have not been previously studied. Objective We sought to (1) describe the experience, knowledge, and attitudes regarding rTMS among young people who had been treated with rTMS for depression as adolescents; (2) report the views of their parents; and (3) compare these to opinions about pharmacotherapy among a group who had been treated with fluoxetine for adolescent depression. Methods Eight of 9 subjects who had participated in an open-label rTMS study, 13 of their parents, and an age-matched group of 8 subjects who had been treated with fluoxetine for depression as adolescents were assessed using detailed questionnaires. Results Repetitive TMS recipients and their parents found rTMS largely acceptable in terms of adverse effects and treatment experience, but most considered it ineffective. In contrast, most patients who had been treated with fluoxetine viewed their treatment as effective. Conclusions Transcranial magnetic stimulation is relatively well tolerated by depressed adolescents, but it is also perceived as mostly unhelpful by them and their parents. This is at odds with emerging studies suggesting that rTMS can be an effective and safe treatment in this age group, indicating that further research is required to confirm our findings and understand reasons for any disparity.