Using acupuncture to treat major depressive disorder: a pilot investigation

Context: Depression is one of the most common and painful forms of mental suffering. Treatment with acupuncture may help to alleviate, transform and perhaps eliminate symptomology.

Objective: To determine if acupuncture’s extraordinary vessels are effective in treating major depressive disorder.

Design: Observational, mixed-method, pilot study.

Setting: Participants were recruited through a newspaper advertisements and prescreened for Major Depressive Disorder.

Participants: Ten men and women (34–66 years of age), screened for Major Depressive Disorder, were treated with acupuncture.

Interventions: Acupuncture’s extraordinary vessels – treatment involved four weeks of twice weekly acupuncture treatments followed by four weeks of once weekly treatments.

Main Outcome Measures: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Beck and Reynolds Depression Inventories.

Results: Those who completed the treatments showed significant improvement on both the Beck and Reynolds Depression Inventories and on retakes of the SCID suggesting that acupuncture can provide significant relief from depression in both men and women.