Electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation has been found to influence the brain (
norepinephrine metabolism in experimental animals). Preliminary clinical research has shown that EA treatment is as effective as
amitriptyline for patients with depression. In this study, two consecutive clinical studies on the treatment of depression with EA are conducted. The first study was double blind placebo controlled, in which 29 depressed inpatients were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: EA + placebo;
amitriptyline; and EA +
amitriptyline. They received EA and/or
amitriptyline treatment for 6 weeks. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Clinical Global Impression and ASBERG scales for the side effect of
antidepressants were used to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and side effects. Based on the results and research protocol of the first study, a multi-centered collaborative study was conducted, in which 241 inpatients with depression were recruited. Patients were randomly divided into two treatment groups: the EA + placebo and the
amitriptyline groups. The results from both studies showed that the therapeutic efficacy of EA was equal to that of
amitriptyline for
depressive disorders (P > 0.05). Electro-acupuncture had a better
therapeutic effect for anxiety somatization and cognitive process disturbance of depressed patients than
amitriptyline (P < 0.05). Moreover, the side effects of EA were much less than that of
amitriptyline (P < 0.001). The article suggested that EA treatment was an effective therapeutic method for
depressive disorders. Particularly, it was a treatment of choice for depressed patients who were unable to comply with the classic
tricyclic antidepressants because of their
anticholinergic side effects. The possible mechanism of EA treatment is discussed.