Accelerated acupuncture therapy for patients with major depressive symptoms: a single blind, randomized wait-list controlled trial

Abstract

Aim

To test the effectiveness of an accelerated acupuncture treatment as an augmentation therapy for patients with primary diagnosis of major depressive symptoms.

Methods

Recruited patients were 1:1 randomly assigned to receive either treatment-as-usual (wait-list controlled group) or with additional acupuncture intervention (treatment group). The acupuncture treatment includes daily scalp acupuncture with manual stimulation for a total of 10 sessions conducted within 2–3 weeks. Blinded raters assessed patients’ depressive symptoms and quality of life at baseline (pre-treatment), immediately after treatment, 2 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment.

Results

A total of 84 patients with 59 (70.2 %) Chinese, 17 (20.2 %) Malay and 4 (4.8 %) Indians participated in this trial. There is an overall improvement of depressive symptoms score assessed by Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology- Self report 16 items (QIDS-SR16), and an improvement of subjective Quality of life assessed by EQ5D Visual Analogue Score (VAS) and Utility Score (US) from pre-treatment to 3 months post-treatment for patients in both treatment groups and control group. In addition, compared to patients in control group, acupuncture induced an overall significantly better QIDS-SR16 (effect size η² = 0.15, p = 0.025) and better EQ-5D Visual Analogue Scale score (η² = 0.20, p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Acupuncture induced an accumulated and delayed antidepressant treatment effect for patients with depression. Our study informed the potential of an accelerated acupuncture treatment as an augmentation antidepressant therapy within a multiethnic South-east Asian population.