Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Combined With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: A Clinical Randomized...

Depression is one of the most common mental health problems among adolescents. Both group cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown certain efficacy in treating adolescent depression, but they often have slow onset and insufficient effectiveness. In this study, we aimed to explore the effectiveness of combining GCBT with tDCS as a novel treatment approach for adolescent depression.

In this randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled, parallel-group trial, 67 adolescents with depression received either active or sham tDCS for 5 weeks in combination with GCBT. Depressive symptoms were assessed before and after treatment using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-24) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS).

After treatment, both GCBT+active tDCS and GCBT+sham tDCS groups showed significant improvements in SDS and HDRS-24 total scores. However, the GCBT+active tDCS group exhibited greater reductions in SDS (p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.51) and HDRS-24 (p < .05, Cohen's d = 0.67) total scores compared with the GCBT+sham tDCS group. Among HDRS-24 subdimensions, significant between-group differences were observed only in retardation and hopelessness. The clinical response rate was higher in the GCBT+active tDCS group (48.49%) than in the sham group (25.00%, p < .05), whereas remission rates did not differ significantly.

GCBT combined with tDCS is a feasible intervention for adolescent depression and can significantly improve depressive symptoms, indicating its potential for future clinical application.