A 27-year-old woman.
A 27-year-old female patient with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and recurrent major depressive sisorder (MDD) is referred for consultation regarding possible repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment for her medication-resistant depression. She has no other medical diagnoses and had no history of substance abuse.
At the time of initial consult, psychometrics indicated that both PTSD symptoms and MDD symptoms were severe. While the patient passively endorses suicidal thoughts, she denies active intent or plan to harm herself. She has taken medical leave of absence from her job in order to get treatment for her depression. To review how rTMS may affect their patient’s PTSD symptoms, the consulting team conducts a review of published literature.
PTSD is a severe psychiatric illness characterised by four core symptom clusters: re-experiencing, avoidance, negative cognition and mood and hyperarousal.