Acupuncture for depression: a randomized controlled trial. Using acupuncture to treat depression: a feasibility study. Laser acupuncture for mild to moderate depression in a primary care setting--a randomised controlled trial. The benefit from whole body acupuncture in major depression. [Acupuncture for treatment of depressive neurosis: a multi-center randomized controlled study]. [Clinical study on the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in the treatment of post-stroke depression]. [Clinical observation on treatment of melancholia by acupuncture following principle of relieving depression and regulating mentality]. Acupuncture: a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy. [Clinical study of electro-acupuncture on 133 patients with depression in comparison with tricyclic amitriptyline]. [Assessment of effectiveness of electroacupuncture and fluoxetine for treatment of depression with physical symptoms]. Acupuncture treatment of chronic back pain. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Recognition and treatment of depression in a family medicine practice. [Comparative study of electro-acupuncture and maprotiline in treating depression]. Effect of acupuncture on nausea of pregnancy: a randomized, controlled trial. Cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy. Singly and together in the treatment of depression.
To assess the efficacy of acupuncture as an intervention for major depressive disorder (MDD).
                Acupuncture was examined in 151 patients with MDD (DSM-IV) who were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. The specific intervention involved Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-style acupuncture with manual stimulation for depression; the control conditions consisted of (1) a nonspecific intervention using a comparable number of legitimate acupuncture points not specifically targeted to depressive symptoms and (2) a waitlist condition, which involved waiting without intervention for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, all patients received the depression-specific acupuncture. Each 8-week intervention regimen consisted of 12 acupuncture sessions delivered in an acupuncturist's office in the community. The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The study was conducted from February 1998 to April 2002.
                Twenty patients terminated treatment before the completion of the 8-week intervention (13%) but not differentially by study group. Random regression models of the intent-to-treat sample revealed that although patients receiving acupuncture improved more than those awaiting intervention, no evidence of differential efficacy of the depression-specific over nonspecific intervention was found. Response rates in acupuncture-treated patients were relatively low after 8 weeks (22% and 39% for specific and nonspecific intervention groups, respectively), with the response rate after the entire 16-week trial reaching 50%.
                Although TCM manual acupuncture is a well-tolerated intervention, results fail to support its efficacy as a monotherapy for MDD. It can't be ruled out that factors unique to the implementation of acupuncture in this research study may have limited the efficacy of interventions compared to those provided in naturalistic settings.
                ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00010517. To establish the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression. Control group intervention, blinding of treatment, outcome measures and the acceptability of such a trial amongst participants were key factors to be addressed. The findings from this study will be used to determine the design of a phase III randomised controlled trial.
                Nineteen participants were recruited through general practices in London, UK. Participants were randomly assigned on a 2:1 basis to either 12 sessions of verum acupuncture or 12 sessions of sham acupuncture (control). Sham acupuncture involved actual needling but at sites considered to be unrelated to depression.
                The Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) and the RAND 36 Item Health Survey 1.0 (RAND) were completed at baseline and at the end of treatment or at treatment dropout. All participants also attended a brief qualitative interview at the end of the study.
                Treatment dropout was low and there were high levels of patient enthusiasm for a study of acupuncture. Referrals from General Practitioners (GPs) were lower than expected. The sham control method successfully maintained participant blinding to treatment and enabled the specific (or active) component of an acupuncture intervention to be isolated and its efficacy assessed. The outcome measures were sensitive enough to record changes in depressive symptoms and quality of life and are appropriate for use in a larger trial.
                This feasibility study has provided important information that can be used to guide the design and methodology of a full-randomised controlled trial. Depression is a major public health problem. There is some evidence supporting the effectiveness of needle acupuncture in its treatment. Laser stimulation, regarded here as a modality of acupuncture, is non-invasive and therefore free of infection risk; and it is acceptable to patients with needle phobia. The technique is relatively easily learned by community-based general practitioners. It is also amenable to sham control and therefore double-blinding in clinical trials. A double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted to test the efficacy of low level laser acupuncture in mild to moderate depression.
                Thirty patients with depression were randomised to receive either active or inactive laser treatment. The laser unit could be switched to one of two settings. One switch position delivered active laser acupuncture and the other was inactive (sham). In the active mode, 0.5J was delivered to each of six to eight individually tailored acupuncture sites per visit. All patients were treated twice weekly for four weeks then weekly for a further four weeks. The patients and the acupuncturist were both blinded to conditions. Outcome was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline, weeks four and eight during treatment, and at 4 and 12 weeks following the treatment.
                At the end of the treatment period, Beck Depression Inventory scores fell from baseline by 16.1 points in the intervention group and by 6.8 points in the sham control group (P<0.001). The difference showed only a trend four weeks later, but was again significant after 12 weeks (P=0.007). Laser acupuncture was well tolerated with transient fatigue as the most common adverse effect.
                Laser acupuncture may be worth further investigation as a treatment for mild to moderate depression in primary care. In a single-blind placebo-controlled study design we investigated the efficacy of acupuncture additionally applied to drug treatment in major depression.
                We randomly included 70 inpatients with a major depressive episode in three different treatment groups: verum acupuncture, placebo acupuncture and a control group. All three groups were pharmacologically treated with the antidepressant mianserin. The verum group received acupuncture at specific points considered effective in the treatment of depression. The placebo group was treated with acupuncture at non-specific locations and the control group received pharmacological treatment plus clinical management. Acupuncture was applied three times a week over a period of 4 weeks. Psychopathology was rated by judges blind to verum/placebo conditions twice a week over 8 weeks.
                Patients who experienced acupuncture improved slightly more than patients treated with mianserin alone.
                Additionally applied acupuncture improved the course of depression more than pharmacological treatment with mianserin alone. However, we could not detect any differences between placebo and verum acupuncture. To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture on depressive neurosis.
                With a multi-center randomized controlled study, 440 cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture group, a prozac group, a non-acupoint needling group. In the acupuncture group, Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3) were selected, and the Prozac group were treated with administration of 20 mg/d and the non-acupoint needling group were treated with needling the points deviating from the acupoints. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by HAMD score reduction rate, and Asberg's anti-depressant side-effect rating scale (SERS) and severe adverse reaction were used for safety evaluation, and the data were analyzed with ITT.
                The total effective rate was 86. 4% in the acupuncture group, which was better than 59.1% in the non-acupoint needling group and 72.7% in the prozac group; HAMD score in the acupuncture group was similar to that in the Prozac group, which was better than that in the non-acupoint needling group; the SERS scores in the acupuncture group and the non-acupoint needling group were significantly lower than that in the Prozac group, with no severe side-effects found for acupuncture.
                Acupuncture is an effective and safe therapy for depressive neurosis; therapeutic effect of acupuncture on depressive neurosis possibly is better than or similar to that of Prozac, but with less side-effects. To observe the therapeutic effect of "Xingnao Kaiqiao Zhenfa" (Acupuncture Technique for Restoring Consciousness) in the treatment of post-stroke depression.
                A total of 256 stroke patients were divided into acupuncture group (n = 180, male 138, female 42) and medication group (n = 76, male 57 and female 19) according to their visiting sequence to our hospital. Acupoints used were Neiguan (PC 6), Renzhong (GV 26), Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (EX-HN 3) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6,the affected side) and the needles were retained for 20 min every time. Patients of medication group were asked to take Amitriptyline (50 mg/d at first, 200 mg/d). Acupuncture treatment was conducted twice daily, and after one month's treatment the therapeutic effect was evaluated. Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) were used to assess the patient's state of depression.
                After the treatment, of the 180 and 76 cases in acupuncture and medication groups, 31 (17.2%) and 13 (17.1%) were cured, 73 (40.6%) and 18 (23.7%) had a marked improvement in their depression state, 27 (15.0%) and 12 (15.8%) had an improvement, 49 (27.2%) and 33 (43.4%) failed, with the effective rates being 72.8% and 56.6% respectively. The markedly effective rate and the total effective rate of acupuncture group were significantly higher than those of medication group (P < 0.05). After the treatment, the total scores of SDS and HRSD and the severity index of two groups decreased pronouncedly in comparison with those of their individual pre-treatment; and the therapeutic effects of acupuncture group were significantly better than those of medication group in reducing SDS, HRSD and severity index (P < 0 .05). In addition, the decreased values of depression, pessimistic mood and irritability of acupuncture group were all bigger than those of medication group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between two groups in the decreased value of insomnia (P > 0.05).
                "Acupuncture Technique for Restoring Consciousness" can effectively improve depression patients' symptoms and the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is markedly superior to that of medication for post-stroke patients. To observe the curative effect of acupuncture following principle of relieving depression and regulating mentality (RDRM) in treating patients with melancholia, and compare it with that of Western medicinal treatment.
                Patients in the observed group were treated with needling and electroacupuncture (EA), and those in the control group orally taken Fluoxetine or Paroxetine. The curative effect, Hamilton Depression Scale scores (HAMD), effect initiating time and sustaining time were observed and compared.
                The total effective rate was 87.5% and 79.1% in the observed group and the control group respectively, showing insignificant difference between them (P > 0.05), but comparison of the initiating time and sustaining time between the two groups did show significant different (P < 0.01).
                Acupuncture with following RDRM principle has definite effect in treating melancholia, which is comparable to Western medicinal treatment, and shows a superiority to the latter in effect initiating and sustaining time. Few medically acceptable treatments for depression during pregnancy are available. The aim of this randomized controlled pilot study was to determine whether acupuncture holds promise as a treatment for depression during pregnancy.
                Sixty-one pregnant women with major depressive disorder and a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD17) score >or=14 were randomly assigned to one of three treatments, delivered over 8 weeks: an active acupuncture (SPEC, N=20), an active control acupuncture (NSPEC, N=21), and massage (MSSG, N=20). Acupuncture treatments were standardized, but individually tailored, and were provided in a double-blind fashion. Responders to acute phase treatment (HRSD17 score<14 and >or=50% reduction from baseline) continued the treatment they were initially randomized to until 10 weeks postpartum.
                Response rates at the end of the acute phase were statistically significantly higher for SPEC (69%) than for MSSG (32%), with an intermediate NSPEC response rate (47%). The SPEC group also exhibited a significantly higher average rate of reduction in BDI scores from baseline to the end of the first month of treatment than the MSSG group. Responders to the acute phase of all treatments combined had significantly lower depression scores at 10 weeks postpartum than nonresponders.
                Generalizability is limited by the small sample and its relative homogeneity.
                Acupuncture holds promise for the treatment of depression during pregnancy. nan To study on clinical therapeutic effect and safety of electroacupuncture and Fluoxetine for treatment of mild or moderate depression with physical symptoms.
                Seventy-five cases were randomly divided into a western medicine group (group A), an electroacupunctue group(group B) and an electroacupuncture plus medicine group (group C), 25 cases in each group. The group A were treated by oral Fluoxetine, 20 mg each day; the group B by electroacupuncture with Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (EX-HN 3) selected as main points; the group C by oral administration of Fluoxetine plus electroacupunctue. HAMD depression scale was used for assessment of clinical therapeutic effect and TESS adverse reaction scale was used for adverse reactions.
                The clinical effective rate was 78.3% in the group A, 82.6% in the group B and 91.7% in the group C, with significant differences between group C and A, group C and B (P < 0.05). Groups B and C had significant therapeutic effects in improvement of physical symptoms, and the adverse reaction of Fluoxetine in the group C was less than that in the group A.
                Electroacupuncture can significantly improve physical symptoms and relieve adverse reactions of Fluoxetine. Electroacupuncture combined with Fluoxetine has a better therapeutic effect on depression with mild or moderate physical symptoms, with less adverse reactions. Acupuncture treatment of chronic low back pain was studied in a placebo-controlled double-blind crossover trial completed by 77 patients. The patients had significantly increased depression, neuroticism, and hypochondriasis scores. Initial pain levels correlated with state-anxiety, depression, pain duration, and abnormal illness behavior measures, as well as with the intake of psychotropic but not analgesic medication. Overall reduction in pain score was 26 percent for acupuncture and 22 percent for placebo treatment; the difference was not significant (p greater than 0.6). Analgesic drug intake was reduced to a similar extent in both groups. During the first phase of treatment, patients receiving acupuncture had a greater but not significantly different reduction in pain rating scores compared with those receiving placebo (t = 0.52; p greater than 0.6). This group showed significantly lower pain scores (p less than 0.05) in the second phase of the trial while receiving placebo treatment. Overall reduction in individual patient's pain score was best predicted by initial pain severity (r = 0.43; p less than 0.001) and psychotropic drug intake (r = 0.37; p less than 0.001). None of the variables tested predicted which patients would specifically respond to acupuncture or placebo. To test the hypothesis that depression is significantly underdiagnosed in general medical settings, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale was administered to 1,086 family medicine outpatients seen during a 12-month period before their initial medical examination. The effects of such screening on clinical recognition and treatment of depression were examined. Of the 1,086 patients, 143 (13.2%) were symptomatically depressed. These patients were randomized into two groups: 102 were identified as clinically depressed to their physician, and the remaining 41 were not (control group). Physicians diagnosed depression in 15% of the control group and in 68% of the identified group. At 4-week follow-up, 64% of the identified patients who were treated with maprotiline (16 of 25) showed improvement; only 28% of the identified patients who were electively not treated improved. Improvement occurred in only 18% of the control group. It appears that the diagnosis of depression is not ordinarily made in family medicine outpatient settings and that self-rating depression scales are useful diagnostic aids, whose regular use is indicated by the high prevalence of depression in general medical populations. To compare the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) and maprotiline (Map) in treating depression.
                Thirty patients of depression were treated with EA and 31 patients with Map orally taken respectively. The therapeutic effect and side-effect were evaluated by measurement of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Self-Rating Scale for Depression (SDS), Self-Rating Scale for Anxiety (SAS), Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) and Asberg Rating Scale for side-effects (ARS) before treatment and on the day 14, 28 and 42 of the therapeutic course.
                After treatment, the scores of HAMD and SDS lowered significantly (P < 0.01) than before treatment, and with insignificant difference between the group (P > 0.05). For patients with somatic syndrome, the HAMD score decrease rate was obviously higher in the Map group than that in the EA group. However, for the patients with anxiety somatization syndrome, the score of SAS, ARS in the EA group were significantly lower than those in the Map group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the efficacy index was higher in the EA group (P < 0.01).
                Both EA and Map are effective in treating depression. To compare acupuncture with sham (placebo) acupuncture for treatment of nausea of pregnancy.
                In a subject- and observer-masked, randomized, controlled trial in the maternity unit at Exeter Hospital, we gave 55 women between 6 and 10 weeks' gestation genuine, traditional-style acupuncture or sham treatment with a cocktail stick on three or four occasions over 3 weeks. The main outcome measure was nausea score, as determined by subject report on a visual analogue scale in a daily diary. Anxiety and depression also were assessed.
                Nausea scores decreased from a median of 85.5 (interquartile range 71.25-89.75) to 47.5 (interquartile range 29.25-69.5) in the acupuncture group and from 87.0 (interquartile range 73.0-90.0) to 48.0 (interquartile range 14.0-80.0) in the sham treatment group. There was strong evidence of a time effect (P <.001) but no evidence of a group effect (P =.9) or a group-time interaction (P =.8). Similarly, there was evidence of time effects in scores for anxiety and depression but no group differences. The study had a power of 95% to detect significant differences in nausea scores.
                Acupuncture was as effective in treating nausea of pregnancy as a sham procedure. Eight-seven moderately to severely depressed psychiatric outpatients were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of cognitive therapy (CT) (n = 24), pharmacotherapy (n = 24), CT plus pharmacotherapy (n = 22), or CT plus active placebo (n = 17). Seventy patients completed the treatment protocol. Seventeen dropped out before the end of the treatment period. Patients who completed treatment showed significant improvement in mean scores on two common measures of severity of depression (the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) between evaluation and termination. Improvement did not differ as a function of the different treatment modalities. Inclusion of dropout patients' end-point scores did not alter these results. Treatment gains in all groups were maintained at one-month follow-up assessment. A portion of this study replicated an earlier study. While the results were not identical, they indicated that either CT or antidepressant drug treatment can be effective in treating outpatients with primary, nonbipolar depression of moderate or greater severity. Combining treatments did not lead either to additive effects or negative interactions.
We found insufficient evidence to recommend the use of acupuncture for people with depression. The results are limited by the high risk of bias in the majority of trials meeting inclusion criteria.