Are early interventions beneficial for depressive status? A pragmatic randomized controlled trial

摘要

Purpose: To evaluate therapeutic effects of early interventionsand compare advantages of Electro-acupuncture (EA),Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and their combination therapyin ameliorating depressive symptoms.Methods: 33 subjects in depressive status, includedvia Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17) andMini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), wereassigned into 4 groups depending on their intentions, EAgroup (6 cases), CBT group (10 cases), combination of EA andCBT group (6 cases) and observation group (11 cases). IntentionTo Treat (ITT) analysis and Per Protocol (PP) analysiswere employed to evaluate primary outcome measures (clinicalresponse rate based on rate of HDRS-17 score changes,clinical remission defined as an endpoint HDRS-17 score0.05).Conclusion: Early interventions could alleviate depressivesymptoms. EA improve somatic symptoms and insomniawhile CBT favors mitigating cognition and mood dysfunction.The combination therapy targeting both physical and psychologicalsymptoms might be an ideal strategy for depressivestatus intervention.