Journal of International Psychiatry

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the efficacy of cupping in the treatment of major depressive disorder by comparing the effects of cupping combined with selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor（SSRI）and SSRI alone. Methods: 70 patients with depression were randomly divided into treatment and control groups. The control group was treated with SSRIs. The treatment group was treated by SSRIs with cupping therapy on Du and Bladder meridian,for once a week, 8 weeks in total. The primary outcome was HAMD-17 response rate, the secondary outcomes were HAMD-17 remission rate, HAMD-17 total score and HAMD-17 factor score. Results: The HAMD-17 response rate in the treatment group was higher than control group (P=0.034). At the end of the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 24th week, HAMD-17 total score in the treatment group was lower than control group (P<0.01); HAMD-17 insomnia and anxiety/somatization factor scores in the treatment group were lower than control group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in HAMD-17 remission rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Cupping combined with SSRI is more effective than SSRI alone in the treatment of depression, especially for the improvement of insomnia and somatic symptoms.

Key words: Major Depressive Disorder, Cupping therapy, SSRIs, RCT