Summary of complementary and alternative medicine therapies for MDD
| INTERVENTION | BODY OF EVIDENCE |
|---|---|
| St John’s wort | Reduction in Ham-D scores in meta-analysis of 29 RCTs as monotherapy |
| Folate | Small reduction in Ham-D scores in 2 of 3 RCTs as adjunct therapy; folate deficiency related to refractory and severe MDD; other benefits of treating folate deficiency |
| SAM-e | Reduction in Ham-D scores in 4 of 5 RCTs as oral monotherapy |
| Acupuncture | No reduction in Ham-D scores in 1 meta-analysis (30 RCTs) and 5 other RCTs as monotherapy or adjunct therapy |
| Exercise | Reduction in Ham-D scores in 3 meta-analyses (25, 5, and 12 RCTs) as monotherapy or adjunct therapy; other benefits |
| Omega-3 fatty acids | Small reduction in Ham-D scores in meta-analysis of 16 RCTs as monotherapy; other benefits |
Ham-D—Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, MDD—major depressive disorder, RCT—randomized controlled trial, SAM-e—S-adenosylmethionine.