What do doctors have to say about this? How often do I need to get treatments for it to be effective? Has acupuncture really been shown to work for depression?
Acupuncture for depression is generally given once or twice per week. Patients’ experience suggests that many people who receive acupuncture to treat depression feel better, though one recent major study conducted at the University of Arizona failed to confirm that acupuncture had a specific benefit.
If you decide to go with acupuncture for your depression, you should keep track of your symptoms and how severe they are, using a self-report measure such as the Beck Depression Inventory or the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology and give the treatment six to eight weeks to work (that is, the same standard that you should apply to a medication or psychotherapy for depression). If acupuncture does not result in at least a 50-percent reduction in your symptoms, you should move on to a different strategy.
Of course, before beginning any depression treatment, you should first consult with a doctor.
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