Acupuncture for Depression? Not So Fast
There is considerable public interest in the use of acupuncture for the treatment of depression, but does it work? Now 3 investigators [1] from the University of Western Sydney, Australia, have undertaken a Cochrane Database systematic review to examine the effectiveness and adverse effects of acupuncture in the treatment for depression.
Inclusion criteria included all published and unpublished randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture, no treatment, pharmacological treatment, other structured psychotherapies, or standard care. The participants in this updated review included 2812 adult men and women with depression defined by clinical state description or diagnosed using structured diagnostic criteria, who took part in 30 studies. Meta-analyses were performed, with primary outcomes being reduction in the severity of depression measured by self-rating or clinician-rated scales and an improvement in depression defined as remission vs. no remission.
The majority of trials demonstrated a high risk of bias and compared manual and electro acupuncture with medication, finding no effect between the groups. There was also insufficient evidence of a consistent beneficial effect from acupuncture compared with a wait list control or sham acupuncture control. Two trials found acupuncture may have an additive benefit when combined with medication compared with medication alone.
The authors concluded that there is still insufficient evidence to recommend the use of acupuncture for people with depression.
This article is selected from Medscape Best Evidence.
Smith CA; Hay PP; Macpherson H. Acupuncture for depression. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2010;1: CD004046. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/20091556 Accessed June 9, 2010.
-From Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health > Medscape Psychiatry Minute: “Acupuncture for Depression”,Peter Yellowlees, MBBS, MD. Posted: 06/21/2010 at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723403, retrieved 6/30/10.
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