Effects of an Integrative Treatment Model to Reduce Anxiety and Depression in Minor Mental Health Problems and Medically Unexplained Symptoms

Summary

Minor mental health problems, MMHP, like mild depression and anxiety, and medically unexplained symptoms, MUS, symptoms with no known underlying organic disease, are strongly associated to each other. MMHP and MUS have an impact on well-being and quality of life, lead to impaired social and cognitive function and could result in reduced work capacity. The investigators have designed the present study as a pragmatic trial to investigate the effectiveness of an integrative treatment model, therapeutic acupuncture, versus conventional treatment in patients with MMHP or MUS in primary care. The investigators examined whether the effects of the integrative treatment model differed from those achieved with therapeutic acupuncture or conventional treatment. Primary endpoints were anxiety and depression (assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale), health-related quality of life (SF-36) and coping with stress, sense of coherence (SOC) during the eight weeks of treatment interventions.

Statistical power was calculated based on an expected 50% reduction in HAD anxiety and depression scores after eight weeks of integrative treatment; a 30% reduction in acupuncture; and 20% in conventional care. A total of 120 (40/arm) were needed to achieve a power of 83% at p \<0.05. Treatment effects were calculated as the difference between values at baseline, after four weeks and after the complete intervention period, i.e. after eight weeks. Nonparametric analyses were carried out to test differences between independent samples (Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U) and related samples (Wilcoxon).

Conditions

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Conventional treatment

Conventional treatment

OTHER

Integrative treatment

Person-centred dialogue combined with therapeutic acupuncture (mild manual acupuncture with deqi). Eight individual sessions, once a week, duration approximately 60 minutes

OTHER

Therapeutic acupuncture

Eight individual sessions, once a week, with therapeutic acupuncture. The participants received acupuncture needles in the appropriate acupuncture points, in the same way as the integrative treatment model, but without person-centred dialogue.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ekhagastiftelsen

  collaborator OTHER

• Fyrbodal Research and Development Council

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Vastra Gotaland Region

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Göteborg University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Charles Taft, associate professor · Göteborg University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2010-01-31

Primary Completion

2011-01-31

Completion

2011-01-31

Countries

• Sweden

Study Locations