Acupuncture is not very effective treatment for major depression
It might help some people, but more effective options are available.
151 patients were assigned to treatment for 8 weeks:
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-style acupuncture with manual stimulation for depression,
- Nonspecific acupuncture, or
- No treatment.
- After 8 weeks, everybody got depression-specific acupuncture.
And the results
- Both acupuncture groups did better than the group that got no treatment.
- There was no significant difference in the rate of response between the acupuncture groups (22% and 39%) at 8 weeks.
- After 16 weeks about half the patients responded to acupuncture.
The response to acupuncture is disappointing.
Dr. Irene says that major depression is a very treatable disease using antidepressants and/or cognitive behavioral therapy. The important thing is whether the response to any treatment can be maintained long-term. This study didn’t address that issue. You can visit Dr. Irene’s homepage here and website here.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness states, “Between 80% and 90% of those diagnosed with major depression can be effectively treated and return to their usual daily activities and feelings.” You can read their informative review with treatment options here.
2/17/07 14:30 JR