When someone is struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide, every treatment option matters. Researchers looked at a specific method called accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation (aTMS). This involves giving patients more frequent sessions, specifically two or more per day, to see if it works better than standard treatments for those in crisis.
The study looked at 310 people over the age of 12 who were dealing with depressive disorders and suicidal thoughts. While aTMS is a feasible option that people can tolerate well, the data showed it did not provide a significant advantage over sham or standard magnetic stimulation. This applies to both immediate results after treatment and follow-up periods.
There was a slight trend suggesting a better response rate for those using accelerated sessions, but this result was not statistically significant. Additionally, while patients who received the accelerated treatment reported more frequent side effects, these were generally mild. Because of differences in how the treatments were set up across different studies, the overall certainty of the evidence remains unclear.
