HCP Live (10/23, Derman) reports a study found that “comorbid anxiety symptoms may diminish the antidepressant efficacy of accelerated theta burst stimulation in older adults.” For the study, “a total of 78 older adults completed a 5-day course of accelerated sequential bilateral theta burst stimulation, administered 8 times daily at 50 – 60-minute intervals.” Researchers observed that “over time, depression scores improved significantly, but participants with an anxiety disorder had higher overall depression levels and showed less improvement than those without anxiety, as seen by the mixed-model ANOVA. At every time point – before treatment, right after treatment, and 4 weeks later, participants with an anxiety disorder had significantly greater depression scores than those without an anxiety disorder.” Furthermore, “four weeks after treatment, participants with an anxiety disorder were much less likely to have their depression go into remission (14.3%) compared with those without anxiety (41.4%). Investigators observed no difference in remission rates immediately after treatment.” The study was published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. (SOURCE: APA Headlines)