Comparative Side‐Effects of Neurosurgical Treatment of Treatment‐Resistant Depression

ABSTRACT Introduction Treatment‐resistant depression (TRD) is a condition in which patients suffering from depression no longer respond to common methods of treatment, such as anti‐depressant medication. Neurosurgical procedures such as ablative surgery, deep brain stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation have been used in efforts to overcome TRD. Objectives This review aims to provide an overview of the side effects of neurosurgery performed in clinical studies related to depression. Methods A literature search was conducted through PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. Results This review selected 10 studies for ablative surgery, 12 for deep brain stimulation, and 10 for vagus nerve stimulation, analyzing their side effect profiles of neurosurgery for TRD. The major side effects of each type of neurosurgery were identified, such as incontinence and confusion for ablative surgery, headaches and increased suicide ideation for deep brain stimulation, and voice hoarseness and dyspnea for vagus nerve stimulation. Conclusion The review discusses the merits and demerits of neurosurgery as a treatment option for TRD. It also suggests new insights into decreasing the burden of these neurosurgical side effects so that they can be a viable, high‐efficacy treatment method for TRD. Neurosurgical treatments are used in the treatment of treatment‐resistant depression. The major side‐effects arising from each neurosurgical procedure differ depending on the region of the brain targeted by the treatment, with very little overlap between side‐effects. Increasing awareness of these potential side‐effects will assist clinicians in reducing the burden of treatment and provide patients with better quality of life.