New perspectives in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder using transcranial magnetic stimulation

Streszczenie

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is a recurrent, severe mental disorder characterised by periods of mania and depression. Treatment of bipolar disorder includes, among others, the use of classic mood stabilisers, second-generation antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS uses in its operation a magnetic field induced between 2 magnetic coils. The most frequently used treatment of this disorder is rTMS (repetitive TMS–rTMS), characterised by high frequency values with low amplitude. In the case of manic episodes, rTMS is recommended as the third-line therapy, and in the case of depression, the second-line therapy. Additionally, it has been shown that using 110% of the motor threshold is the most effective in relieving depression symptoms in BPAD. The use of TMS is based on an individual approach to the patient. TMS therapy is characterised by a high level of safety and non-invasiveness.