Major depression is one of the most often diagnosed mental illnesses in Canada. People with major depression often have feelings of sadness, irritability, and hopelessness that do not go away, and find it hard to take pleasure in most activities.

Generally, people can be successfully treated with antidepressants, psychotherapy, or both. However, some people with major depression do not respond to these treatments. If people are diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, other treatments can be tried. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive treatment that delivers magnetic pulses to stimulate the area of the brain associated with mood regulation.

This health technology assessment looked at how safe, effective, and cost-effective repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is for people with treatment-resistant depression. It also looked at the budget impact of publicly funding this treatment. And it looked at the experiences, preferences, and values of people with treatment-resistant depression.