Therapeutic observation of cranial suture acupuncture in treating depression

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of cranial suture acupuncture plus paroxetine in treating depression, and to discuss the action mechanism of this acupuncture method. Methods One hundred depression patients were allocated to an observation group and a control group according to the random number table, with 50 cases in each group. The control group was intervened by oral administration of paroxetine tablets, 20 mg each time, once a day for successive 6 weeks; the observation group was additionally given cranial suture acupuncture, once a day for 6 weeks. They were scored by Hamilton depression scale-17 (HAMD-17) before the treatment and respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment. The clinical efficacy and safety were also observed. Results After 6-week treatment, the total effective rate was 94.0% in the observation group versus 78.0% in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant ( P <0.01). The HAMD-17 scores respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment were significantly lower than the score before the treatment in the observation group (all P <0.05); the HAMD-17 scores respectively after 2-week, 4-week and 6-week treatment were significantly different from the score before the treatment in the control group (all P <0.05). There were significant differences in the HAMD-17 score between the two groups respectively after 4-week and 6-week treatment (both P <0.05). Conclusion Cranial suture acupuncture plus paroxetine can ease the symptoms of depression, with faster onset and more significant therapeutic efficacy compared with paroxetine alone.