Use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the management of bipolar disorder during the postpartum period

Another potential deleterious consequence is the use of psy-chiatricdrugsduringlactationbecausemostofthempassintothebreastmilk.Giventheimportanceofbreastfeedingduringthefirst6monthsoflifeandtheimportanceoftreatingmooddisorders in the postpartum period, novel treatments that arenot harmful to infants are needed. One option is transcranialmagnetic stimulation (TMS).TMS is a relatively simple device in which a strong,varying magnetic field induces electric currents into thebrain that can modulate activity if applied repetitively.Several clinical trials on repetitive TMS (rTMS) anddepression have been performed and a recent meta-analysisshowed that rTMS induces a significant antidepressanteffect compared with placebo.