Letter to the Editor October 15, 2007

Acupuncture for Major Depressive Disorder: Has Its Efficacy Been Disproved?

Albert Yeung, MD, ScD; David Mischoulon, MD, PhD; Jonathan Alpert, MD, PhD; Yantao Ma, MD; Maurizio Fava, MD

J Clin Psychiatry 2007;68(10):1617-1617

Article Abstract

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Sir: We appreciate the thoughtful design of the recently published study by Allen and colleagues.1 It is essential to critically evaluate complementary and alternative therapies, and we believe this study has provided important data on the outcomes of treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) using manual acupuncture. Given the need for innovative treatments of MDD, it is equally important that potentially efficacious interventions are not discarded prematurely.