Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug 23:19:1819-1832.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S420489. eCollection 2023.

Optimizing Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents: The Impact of Intradermal Acupuncture - A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Nisang Chen #  1 , Xiaoting Wu #  1 , Mingqi Tu  1 , Sangsang Xiong  1 , Junyan Jin  1 , Siying Qu  1 , Shuangyi Pei  1   2 , Jianqiao Fang  1   2 , Xiaomei Shao  1   2
Affiliations

Optimizing Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents: The Impact of Intradermal Acupuncture - A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Nisang Chen et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) exhibits a pronounced occurrence among adolescents, aligning closely with the lifetime prevalence rate of 16.6% observed in adults. It is difficult to treat and prone to recurrence. Acupuncture has shown potential in enhancing treatment effectiveness. Nonetheless, there is a lack of research on the use of intradermal acupuncture (IA) in treating adolescent MDD.

Methods: This study is a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. A cohort of 120 participants will be assigned randomly to three distinct groups, namely a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)-only group, a sham intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs (SIA) group, and an active intradermal acupuncture combined with SSRIs (AIA) group. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale will serve as the primary outcome, while Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Short Form 36 Questionnaire will serve as secondary outcomes in assessing the amelioration of depressive symptoms in patients. These data will be analyzed using SPSS26.0 software.

Results: We will assess the efficacy and safety of IA for MDD using commonly employed clinical psychiatric scales.

Conclusion: The efficacy of IA in treating adolescent MDD may be demonstrated in this study, suggesting its potential for optimizing MDD treatment schemes.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05832619 (April 27, 2023).

Keywords: adolescent; intradermal acupuncture; major depressive disorder; protocol; randomized controlled trial; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Active intradermal acupuncture.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sham intradermal acupuncture.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Arango C, Buitelaar JK, Fegert JM, et al. Safety and efficacy of agomelatine in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder receiving psychosocial counselling: a double-blind, randomised, controlled, Phase 3 trial in nine countries. Lancet Psychiatry. 2022;9(2):113–124. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00390-4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Avenevoli S, Swendsen J, He JP, Burstein M, Merikangas KR. Major depression in the national comorbidity survey-adolescent supplement: prevalence, correlates, and treatment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015;54(1):37–44.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2014.10.010 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62(6):593–602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Birmaher B, Brent D, Bernet W, et al. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with depressive disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007;46(11):1503–1526. doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318145ae1c - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baune BT, Fuhr M, Air T, Hering C. Neuropsychological functioning in adolescents and young adults with major depressive disorder--a review. Psychiatry Res. 2014;218(3):261–271. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.04.052 - DOI - PubMed

Associated data