A comparison between rTMS and antidepressant medication on depressive symptom clusters in treatment-resistant depression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Antidepressive treatment outcomes can be assessed using sum scores from measurement scales, but symptom clusters may better capture the multidimensional structure of depression. Little is known about the comparative effectiveness of different treatment modalities on these clusters. We sought to evaluate the effects of rTMS and antidepressant medication on four symptom clusters and the extent to which these differ between treatments. In addition, we assessed whether baseline cluster scores predicted (non)response.

Methods

Data were obtained from two clinical trials (DETECT: rTMS vs. medication; PITA: tricyclic antidepressants). Primary outcomes were symptom cluster scores: 'General Depression', 'Anxiety', 'Somatic Symptoms' and 'Insomnia'. In the primary analysis b

SUBMITTER: Dalhuisen I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12500816 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature