Counselling & Acupuncture study Acupuncture or counselling, provided alongside usual care, benefits patients with depression, a recent study has revealed. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of York, found the combination of acupuncture or counselling with usual care had some benefits after three months for patients with recurring depression. The research team randomised patients with depression to receive 12 weekly sessions of acupuncture plus usual care (302 patients), or 12 weekly sessions of counselling plus usual care (302 patients), or usual care alone (151 patients). The groups that received acupuncture and counselling showed a significant reduction in average depression scores at three months, compared with usual care alone. Dr MacPherson added: To our knowledge, our study is the first to rigorously evaluate the clinical and economic impact of acupuncture and counselling for patients in primary care who are representative of those who continue to experience depression in primary care. He adds: We have provided evidence that acupuncture versus usual care and counselling versus usual care are both associated with a significant reduction in symptoms of depression in the short to medium term, and are not associated with serious adverse events. The study was published last month in PLOS Medicine and also involved researchers from the Centre for Health Economics at York and Hull York Medical School. (The National Counselling Society, Oct 13)
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 23:00:44 +0000
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