Abstract
INTRODUCTION: While major depression has been treated with laser acupuncture (LA) and intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP), the relative efficacy of these two methods and their combination is unclear. ISTDP is a form of dynamic psychotherapy that enables the experience and processing of blocked complex feelings, while LA is based on the opening of blocked energy meridians. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of LA and ISTDP and their combination in treating major depression. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was carried out with 45 depressed patients on three equal arms (15 patients in each group): Group I) LA, group II) ISTDP, and group III) combined LA and ISTDP. The participants were evaluated at six time points using the Hamilton rating depression scale (HDRS), structured clinical interview for structured clinical interview for DSM (SCID), and symptom checklist-90 (SCL90), including baseline, session 8, session 12, 1-month follow-up, 2-month follow-up, and 3- month follow-up. RESULTS: HDRS and SCID ratings showed within-group reductions in SCL90 and HDRS scores in the three groups over time. At one of the follow-up times, combined LA+ISTDP showed a greater reduction than either individual treatment on the SCL-90 depression subscale but not on HDRS or SCID. CONCLUSION: Based on releasing blocked energies, the results of this study indicate that LA and ISTDP are effective in treating major depression. The combination of the two methods may be more effective in reducing depression symptoms.