Cochrane · systematic review · CD004046
Acupuncture for depression
Smith, CA, Armour, M, Lee, MS, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018 · Cochrane Library
Common Mental DisordersAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
20
current version
GRADE rated
14
No studies
6
Included studies
NR
No studies 6 · 30%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 6 · 30%Low 5 · 25%Moderate 3 · 15%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Acupuncture compared with no treatment/wait list/treatment as usual for depression
Population: clinical diagnosis of depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity of depression at the end of treatment Acupuncture vs no treatment/wait list/treatment | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 488 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events Acupuncture vs no treatment/wait list/treatment | RR 0.89 [0.35, 2.24] | 1 study · 302 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Quality of life (physical) Acupuncture vs no treatment/wait list/treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Quality of life (emotional) Acupuncture vs no treatment/wait list/treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Acupuncture compared with control acupuncture for depression
Population: clinical diagnosis of depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity of depression at the end of the intervention as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scored from 0 to 54 (lower score indicates less severe depression) Acupuncture vs control acupuncture | no estimate extracted | 14 studies · 841 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events Acupuncture vs control acupuncture | RR 1.63 [0.93, 2.86] | 5 studies · 300 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Quality of life (physical) at the end of treatment (higher scores indicate greater quality of life) Acupuncture vs control acupuncture | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 150 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Quality of life (emotional) at the end of treatment (higher scores indicate greater quality of life) Acupuncture vs control acupuncture | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 167 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Acupuncture compared with medication for depression
Population: clinical diagnosis of depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity of depression at the end of treatment Acupuncture vs medication | no estimate extracted | 31 studies · 3127 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events ( Acupuncture vs medication | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 481 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Quality of life (physical) Acupuncture vs medication | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Quality of life (emotional) Acupuncture vs medication | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Acupuncture plus medication compared with medication for depression
Population: clinical diagnosis of depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity of depression at the end of treatment Acupuncture plus medication vs medication | no estimate extracted | 11 studies · 813 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events ( Acupuncture plus medication vs medication | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 200 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Quality of life (physical) at the end of treatment (higher scores indicate greater quality of life) Acupuncture plus medication vs medication | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 127 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Quality of life (emotional) at the end of treatment (higher scores indicate greater quality of life) Acupuncture plus medication vs medication | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 219 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Acupuncture compared with psychological therapy for depression
Population: clinical diagnosis of depression
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity of depression at the end of treatment as measured by self‐rated depression scores (lower score indicates less severe depression) Acupuncture vs psychological therapy | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 497 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Adverse events measured during study treatment Acupuncture vs psychological therapy | RR 0.62 [0.29, 1.33] | 1 study · 453 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Quality of life (physical) Acupuncture vs psychological therapy | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Quality of life (emotional) Acupuncture vs psychological therapy | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |