The Effectiveness of Combining Cranial Electrical Stimulation with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Drug Therapy on Rumination and Depressive Syndrome in Women

Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder that has attracted the attention of many mental health professionals due to its high prevalence and health costs. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of electrical cranial stimulation, combining cranial electrical stimulation with drug therapy and cranial electrical stimulation with cognitive-behavioral therapy on rumination, emotions, and depressive symptoms in women.

In the form of a quasi-experimental design of pre-test-post-test-follow-up with a control group among all women with depression referred to counseling and psychotherapy clinics in Alborz province, 60 eligible people entered the study and were randomly divided into six groups. Data were collected using Beck Depression Inventory (1961) and Ruminative Response Scale by Nolen-Hoeksema et al. (1989) and then they were analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The results showed cranial electrical stimulation, drug therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy as well as the combination of cranial electrical stimulation with drug therapy and the combination of cranial electrical stimulation with cognitive-behavioral therapy had a reducing effect on rumination (P=0.001). Cranial electrical stimulation, drug therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy as well as the combination of cranial electrical stimulation with drug therapy and the combination of cranial electrical stimulation with cognitive-behavioral therapy had a reducing effect on depressive symptoms (P=0.001).

It is suggested that cranial electrical stimulation be used as a complementary method along with drug therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.