Int J Psychiatry Clin Pract. 2024 Oct 17:1-3. doi: 10.1080/13651501.2024.2417651. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We report a case on the efficiency of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on cigarette consumption cessation.The patient was 29 years old, He received intensive psychiatric treatments along with ten years of history of depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders.The first four years of treatment were marked by good outcomes. However, the last 6 years were marked by persisting depressive symptoms associating with psychotic features and sexual obsessions.

METHODS: The patient received 20 sessions of rTMS over two weeks, 10 times per week at 1 Hz frequency, each session lasted 20 min with 200 pulses and 100% of motor threshold. In the meanwhile, the patient continued his full drug-based treatment according to the reported prescription.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After 20 sessions, the patient reported a decreased severity of his depressive symptoms with a BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) score of 6 but without significant improvement of OCD with a YBOCS score of 32. However, the patient reported great improvement in his tobacco craving and a diminishing number of consumed cigarettes in the second week of the rTMS protocol of treatment. This ended with tobacco cessation within a month. However, this occurred without any medication or psychological support for treating tobacco dependence.

PMID:39417536 | DOI:10.1080/13651501.2024.2417651