A study by Chinese researchers indicates that acupuncture can accelerate the clinical response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and prevent symptom aggravation in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In a six-week randomised controlled trial with four-week follow-up, 160 patients with MDD were randomly assigned to receive paroxetine (PRX) alone or in combination with 18 sessions of manual acupuncture (MA), or electro-acupuncture (EA). Both MA and EA produced a significantly greater reduction in depression scores at most time points from week one through to week six, compared to PRX alone. Clinical response rates were markedly greater in the MA (69.8%) and EA (69.6%) groups than the group treated with PRX alone (41.7%). The proportion of patients who required an increased dose of PRX due to symptom aggravation was significantly lower with MA (5.7%) and EA (8.9%) than with PRX alone (22.9%, P = 0.019). At four weeks after completion of acupuncture treatment, patients who received EA (but not MA) continued to show significantly greater clinical improvement. (A 6-week randomized controlled trial with 4-week follow-up of acupuncture combined with paroxetine in patients with major depressive disorder. J Psychiatr Res. 2013 Jun;47(6):726-32).
Categories: Psychological / emotional
