Survey clinical evidence of acupuncture therapy for depressive neurosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical studies of acupuncture for treatment of depressive neurosis, collect the high quality evidence relative to clinical acupuncture practice for clinical decision-making reference. METHODS: Around crucial common questions of acupuncture clinical practice, the documents of clinical study were comprehensively retrieved. According to 5-grade criterion of evidence-based medicine, the evidence from high to low level were selected to answer corresponding clincal questions and RevMan 5.0.20 was used to analyze the final indicator. RESULTS: Nineteen documents of clinical study accord with the inclusive criterion were retrieved. Level-A evidence showed effectiveness of acupuncture. Acupuncture might be superior or equal to fluoxetine, with little adverse effect and high safety. Level-C evidence showed acupuncture might be superior or equal to Amitriptyline, with little adverse effect and high safety. And no relative clinicial evidence compared effect of acupuncture with that of psychotherapy or behavior therapy. Only one level-C evidence showed there was no effect difference between acupuncture combined with bloodletting therapy and bloodletting alone. Two level-C evidence showed the effect of acupuncture combined with western medicine was superior to that of medicine alone, eg. catgut embedding therapy combined with Fluoxetine, electroacupuncture combined with Seroxat. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture for depressive nerosis has a positive effect. Acupuncture has an equal effect compared with western medicine, while strictly designed equivalent and non-inferior studies are demanded. The effect of acupuncture combined with medicine has some advantage, but need high quality studies to verify.

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2010 Mar;30(3):235-40. Xiong J, Du YH, Liu JL, Lin XM, Sun P, Xiao L, Gao X, Chen YW. Graduate School, Tianjin University of TCM, Tianjin 300193, China.