Comparison of the effectiveness of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Drug Therapy on Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD)

The study aimed to comparison of the effectiveness of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and drug therapy on Post-Traumatic Stress (PTSD). The current research was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population of the present study included all patients referred to specialized clinics in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th regions of Tehran from July to September 2022. Study participants included 45 obsessive-compulsive disorder who were selected purposefully and were assigned to two experimental groups (rTMS: 15 participants, Drug therapy: 15 participants), and a control group: 15 participants. The rTMS treatment sessions was three sessions a week for four weeks. Therefore, rTMS treatment was performed with the parameters specified below regarding the variables of the present study. post-traumatic stress (PTSD), the supplementary motor area with a frequency of 1 Hz (HZ) for 20 minutes, 1200 pulses and F4 areas were worked with the tablets. The MCMI-III or Checklist-90-Revision pre and post interventions measured. The analysis of covariance test was used by SPSS version 26 software for data analysis. As a result, the outcome of the study showed a difference between the treatment technique of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) (P=0.0001) and the use of drugs (P=0.0001) were significant in post-traumatic stress (PTSD). The current research shows that some interventions are more effective than others. Specifically, protocols that stimulate the right DLPFC seem to be better than fake treatments. Additionally, we still need to learn more about the best settings for rTMS treatment.