Journal: Psychiatry Research (2025)
Authors: Yiftach Roth, Aron Tendler , Gaby S. Pell, TeeJay Tripp, Philip Yam, Dianne DeKeyser, Mah Mekolle, Jayson Tripp, Aaron J. Dahl, Owen S. Muir, Carlene M. MacMillan, Kevin R. Rosi, Steven A. Harvey, Teresa Poprawski, Kevin M. Kinback, Oluremi Adefolarin, Alexander Rohr, Mark E. Blair, Diana Ghelber, Raymond Y. Cho, Hannah R. Kelly, Raymond C. Garcia, Amita Jha u, Richard A. Bermudes, Colleen A. Hanlon
Background:
Adolescent depression is a critical and growing public health concern, with high rates of treatment resistance and limited effective interventions. Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Deep TMS) has been previously validated for adults, but data on its use in adolescents remain limited.
Objective:
To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Deep TMS using the H1 Coil in a real-world clinical setting among adolescents and young adults (ages 14–21) suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD).
Results:
The study analyzed data from 217 participants across 36 clinical sites.
After approximately 29 sessions, 52% achieved clinical response (≥50% symptom reduction), and 28% achieved remission.
Most common side effects were mild and transient, with no reports of seizures or serious adverse events.
Efficacy was consistent across younger (14–17) and older (18–21) subgroups.
The safety profile and response rates mirrored those seen in adult populations, supporting Deep TMS as a viable treatment for youth.
Conclusions:
Deep TMS using the H1 Coil is a safe and effective intervention for adolescent and young adult depression in a real-world setting. The outcomes support broader consideration of Deep TMS for treatment-resistant depression in this population and indicate a favorable benefit-risk ratio .
