rTMS for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: a review about training courses and material, and the presentation of the training materials of the German society for brain stimulation in psychiatry

Martin Schecklmann^1*Wolfgang Strube²Katrin Sakreida³Ulrike Vogelmann^4,5Christiane Licht³Stefanie Dierkes-Möller⁶Roberto Goya-Maldonado⁷Bernhard Kis⁸Michael Landgrebe⁹Carlos Schönfeldt-Lecuona¹⁰Berthold Langguth¹¹Tobias Hebel¹¹

• ¹Other
• ²Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany, Augsburg, Germany
• ³Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
• ⁴Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany, Munich, Germany
• ⁵Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, Munich, Germany
• ⁶Privat Practice Neurologie im Vest, Recklinghausen, Germany, Hattingen, Germany
• ⁷Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience and Imaging in Psychiatry (SNIP-Lab), Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Göttingen, Germany, Göttingen, Germany
• ⁸Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Catholic Hospitals Ruhrhalbinsel, Hattingen, Germany, Hattingen, Germany
• ⁹Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, kbo-Lech-Mangfall-Klinik Agatharied, Hausham, Germany, Agatharied, Germany
• ¹⁰Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy III, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany, Ulm, Germany
• ¹¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, Regensburg, Germany

There is an increasing interest in the treatment of mental disorders such as depression with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Treatment guidelines for the application of rTMS are available but they focus primarily on scientific evidence for efficacy and tolerability. Other aspects, that are relevant for the training of practitioners such as implementation in the national health system as well as organizational, formal and practical aspects are not covered in detail in these guidelines. We here present an overview of German rTMS courses and present training material of the hands-on workshop of the German Society for Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry [Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hirnstimulation in der Psychiatrie (DGHP) e.V.] in German and English as an example. Publication of national standard operating procedures is important in order to harmonize rTMS practice all over the world.