Efficacy of acupuncture for mild to moderate depression in elderly people: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Early Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ChiCTR

Registry ID

ChiCTR2300072740

Enrollment

Unknown

Registered

2023-06-25

Start date

2023-07-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-06-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

mild to moderate depression in elderly people

Interventions

Acupuncture and medication group:Treatment will be performed by licensed acupuncturists who have at least five years of experience in acupuncture. All the acupuncturists will be trained how to locate

Hwatuo, Suzhou, China) will be used. Acupuncture treatments will consist of 36 sessions with 30-min duration over twelve weeks (three sessions per week, ideally every other day). Acupuncture will be d

Shenmen(TF4) and Sishencong(Ex-HN1) for sleep disorders

Touwei(SRT8) and Shuaigu(GB8) for headache

Zusanli(ST36) and Sanyinjiao(SP6) for lassitude

Hegu(LI4) and Daling(PC7) for anxiety

Taibai(SP3) and Gongsun(SP4) for inappetence

Neiguan(PC6) and Danzhong(RN17) for heart palpitations and chest tightness. Manipulations of twirling, lifting, and thrusting will be performed on all needles to reach De qi (a compositional sensation

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

60 Years to 80 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: (1) Met the criteria for MDD according to the ICD-10; (2) Men and women aged 60-80 years; (3) Measured by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score of 7 to 24; (4) Who were consistently without use of antidepressants or had already stopped taking antidepressants for more than 4 weeks; (5) No acupuncture treatment in the last 4 weeks and no participation in any other ongoing research; (6) Only participants who provide informed consent can be included.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: (1) Patients with fundamental communication problems; (2) Patients at high risk of suicide or self-injuring behavior; (3) Patients with dementia; (4) Having a history of bipolar disorder; (5) Patients having a history of schizophrenic or with psychotic symptoms; (6) Having current or lifetime alcohol abuse; (7) Severe diseases of cardiovascular or poor liver or kidney function;.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) ;	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Mini-mental State Examination,MMSE;	—

Countries

China

Contacts

Public ContactFu Qingnan

Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University

fuqingnan2012@163.com+86 132 6322 6224

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ChiCTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026