Drug-free treatment for depression reduces symptoms in five days

A UCLA-led study found an accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) schedule—five sessions per day over five days—reduced depression scores similarly to a conventional six-week course; a subgroup of patients showed larger improvement at two to four weeks.

A UCLA Health study reports that an accelerated course of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) reduced depression symptoms over five days in people with treatment-resistant depression. Conventional TMS is usually given once a day across several weeks. The accelerated approach condensed 25 treatments into five days by delivering five sessions per day. The trial aimed to test whether the shorter, more intensive schedule produced outcomes similar to the standard regimen. Key facts: - The trial included 175 people with treatment-resistant depression and was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. - One group (135 participants) received conventional TMS once daily for six weeks; the other group received five sessions per day for five days (25 sessions total). - Both groups showed similar reductions on standard depression rating scales, with no statistical difference in outcomes between the two schedules. - A subgroup of accelerated-treatment participants showed little immediate change but experienced an average drop of about 36% in depression scores at a two-to-four-week follow-up. - Researchers reported that some patients may need days or weeks to show benefit and noted an additional day of treatment after two weeks was being explored. Summary: The study reports that a condensed 5x5 TMS schedule produced symptom reductions comparable to a conventional six-week course in people who had not responded to multiple antidepressant trials; some accelerated-treatment participants showed delayed but meaningful improvement at two to four weeks. Longer-term outcomes and broader clinical implications were not reported in this article, so the wider impact is undetermined at this time.