Clinical observation on acupuncture therapy for depression at perimenopause

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture therapy on depression at perimenopause. Methods: Sixty patients who had depression at perimenopause were divided into a treatment group and a control group, thirty patients in each group. Patients in the treatment group were treated with Bo's abdominal acupuncture, while patients in the control group were treated with Prozac. Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and Beck depression inventory (BDI) were observed before and after treatment to evaluate the clinical effect. Results: Depression levels decreased after treatments in both groups (P<0.05). There were no statistical differences between the two groups in the total effective rate and BDI. Conclusion: Abdominal acupuncture has similar effect in treating depression at perimenopause with Prozac. © 2013 Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.