Need Help For Depression? Try Acupuncture Instead of Counseling

A study recently published in PLoS Medicine suggests a surprising new treatment for even severe depression — acupuncture. Yes, acupuncture. In this randomized U.K. clinical trial, primary care subjects who received a protocol of acupuncture did even better than those who received a form of humanistic counseling for the treatment of depression. So if all else has failed for depression, should you give acupuncture a go? The new study (MacPherson et al. 2013) examined 755 depressed patients in the U.K. who visited their primary care physician and scored high on a depression measure. They were then divided into three treatment groups — acupuncture treatment, humanistic counseling, or usual care. The outcome measure was the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores at 3 months with secondary analyses over 12 months follow-up. At 3 months, 614 patients were measured, and at 12 months, 572 patients were measured. The majority of patients, nearly 69 percent, were taking antidepressant medications at the start of the study. At the 3-month time period, 33 percent of those who underwent acupuncture improved more than 50 percent on their depression score, compared to 29 percent of the humanistic counseling group. This was not a statistically significant different, demonstrating, in effect, that these two groups were largely the same. However, since the researchers also continued measuring depression further out — at 9 and 12 months — they found something else...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Depression Disorders General Mental Health and Wellness Psychotherapy Treatment Acupuncture Carl Rogers Clinical Depression Cognitive Behavioral Therapy MacPherson Major Depressive Disorder Source Type: blogs