Effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on patients with severe depression: a study protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials.

Introduction: Depression is characterised by easy recurrence, high disability and high burden, and antidepressant therapy is the standard treatment. However, its treatment effect on patients with severe depressive disorder has been unsatisfactory. Previous studies have shown that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), as a neurotherapy, can effectively mitigate the severity of depressive symptoms.