The use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to manage symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia

Abstract

Topic Overview: This dissertation is based on the chronic psychiatric disorder, schizophrenia. Many patients do not respond to medication therapy therefore, this literature review based on evidence based research will be focusing on how effective the use of rTMS is when compared with other standard treatment for the treatment of Schizophrenia. The Research Question: How effective is the use of rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) in reducing symptoms of schizophrenia when compared to standard treatment? PICO Elements: The population studied was individuals with schizophrenia. The intervention was rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) compared to standard treatment. The expected outcome was controlled symptoms of schizophrenia. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: inclusion criteria included work published in English, “peerreviewed articles”, articles published from 2010-2021, male and female genders in all age groups, patients with schizophrenia receiving rTMS and standard treatment and only “articles” “clinical trial”, “RCT”, “Review”, “Systematic Reviews”, “Meta-Analysis” literature. Exclusion criteria included literature not published in English or peer reviewed, publish date before 2010, animal studies, patients with other disease and receiving other treatment and books and documents. Methods: A systematic search with various keywords on HyDi and PubMed was carried out to find relevant evidence-based studies for this dissertation. The MeSH browser was utilised to derive keywords and combined in the advanced search with various Boolean Operators and search limiters. The 6-key RCT’s identified and then critically appraised using the CASP tool. Results: Four of the six RCT’s found that rTMS could be considered as an add-on treatment with antipsychotics but two other studies discussed that rTMS resulted as ineffective treatment to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. Therefore, the answer to the PICO question remains undetermined in relation to rTMS alone the answer is undetermined as the quality of the existing research available is not sufficient to accurately answer the research question. Implications and most important recommendations: Further research is still required with improved study design, methodologies, and larger sample sizes. Recommendations for the consideration of introducing rTMS as an additional treatment for schizophrenia include training health care workers, creating and reviewing new policies and create public awareness about schizophrenia and its treatment.