Background: Depression is an affective mental disorder that seriously endangers the physical and psychological health of human beings. This study attempted to systematically evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy and onset time of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and non-convulsive electroshock in the treatment of Depression through the method of evidence-based medicine.
Methods: As of December 2022, we have selectively searched domestic and foreign databases by computer, including English databases PubMed, ScienceDir ETC (Elsevier), Embase, wiley, and Chinese databases HowNet (CNKI), Wanfang (WanFang), VIP (VIP), Chinese Medical Association, CBM (sinomed) Chinese biomedical literature database, etc., collected randomized controlled studies on repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and non-convulsive electric shock in the treatment of Depression, and included 21 documents in total. Two researchers independently screened the literature, comprehensively evaluated the retrieved literature according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted valid data, and used Review Manager 5.4 software for quantitative statistical analysis. The clinical effective rate and Hamilton depression Rating scale (Hamilton depression scale, HAMD) and onset time were used as outcome indicators for evaluation.
Results: A total of 12 literatures were included in this study for Meta-analysis, involving a total of 678 subjects. The results of Meta-analysis showed that the HAMD score of the study group was higher than that of the control group after treatment, MD=2.01, 95%CI (0.59-3.68), P < .05; there was no statistically significant difference in clinical efficacy between the study group and the control group, OR = 0.88, 95%CI (0.31-1.92), Z = 1.16, P = .29; the onset time of the study group was shorter than that of the control group, MD = 2.01, 95%CI (0.59-3.68), Z = 3.31, P = .001.
Conclusion: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is superior to non-convulsive electroconvulsive shock in the treatment of Depression. However, further research is needed to verify its long-term efficacy in the treatment of such diseases. Future studies could focus on investigating the sustainability of treatment effects, exploring potential predictors of treatment response, and comparing the cost-effectiveness of rTMS and NCES in clinical practice. Such research would provide valuable insights for optimizing treatment strategies for depression.