Major Depressive Disorder

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Vitamin D [1, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help in preventing some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Please note, this acts as a PREVENTATIVE treatment, and not necessarily symptomatic relief.

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Vitamin D can help prevent mood disorders)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Thuja (Eastern White Cedar, Thuja Occidentalis) [1, 16, 17, 18]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Little is known about the full effects of Thuja, so it is not recommended for medicinal use. Thuja can be poisonous if ingested in large amounts.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Thuja helps to treat depression)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Strychnos Nux-Vomica (Maqianzi, Poison Nut) [1, 13, 14, 15]:

WARNING! This substance is HIGHLY POISONOUS. The seeds contain Strychnine, which may cause convulsions, breathing difficulties and death, even if as little as 5 milligrams is ingested

Recommendation: Strongly against (There is no evidence in the form of clinical trials which reports the effectiveness of Strychnos Nux-Vomica, because it is highly poisonous to humans, and is not recommended.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

St John's Wort (Goatweed, tipton weed, Hypericum Perforatum) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: No recommendation (Clinical trials have shown that St Johns Wort is very effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. Studies done with regards to severe depression have yielded mixed results. More studies are needed.)

Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence

Neural Therapy:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (no reliable scientific evidence exists that supports Neural Therapy helping to improve symptoms of depression)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Massage:

Recommendation: strongly in favor (studies done strongly support Massage Therapy helping to decrease depression)

Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence

Phototherapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (A form of phototherapy, Light Box Therapy has been shown to be effective in treating certain types of deperssion which are caused by insufficient exposure to bright lights. Tests are still being conducted to see if it helps with other forms of depression)

Grade of Evidence: Moderate quality of evidence

Craniosacral Therapy:

Recommendation: no recommendation (No known reliable studies have been done which support positive effects of Craniosacral Therapy on Depression)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Yoga:

Recommendation: strongly in favor (randomized control trials have shown that yoga can be of benefit in depression. )

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Aromatherapy:

Recomendation: weakly in favor (early trials have had positive results, but more research needs to be done)

Grade of Evidence: Low quality of evidence

Curanderismo:

Recommendation: no recommendation (no scientific evidence for claims that Curanderismo can help at all with depression)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Image Therapy:

Recommendation: weakly in favor (Early reviews of studies done show that Image Therapy may help in managing depression, although later studies show some ambiguity)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Music Therapy:

Recommendation: no recommendation (Moderate amount of evidence shows that Music Therapy does not help manage depression)

Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence

Native American Healing:

Recommendation: no recommenation (although a study was done, and the results were positive, the methods used and accuracy of the study were highly unreliable)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

 * www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/st-johns-wort

3. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-stjohnswort.html

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18843608

5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11939866

6. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/ataglance.htm

7. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/sjw-and-depression.htm

8. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/how-is-depression-detected-and-treated.shtml

9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11939872

10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12132963

11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16423519

12. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/299/22/2633

13. David Michael Wood et al. Case report: Survival after deliberate strychnine self-poisoning, with toxicokinetic data. Critical Care October 2002 Vol 6 No 5

14. Arnold, M.D., Harry L. (1968). Poisonous Plants of Hawaii. Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Co.. p. 20. ISBN 0804804745.

15. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/strychnos-nux-vomica

16. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002769.htm

17. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_thoc2.pdf

18. http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&query=thuja&x=0&y=0

19. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/o/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD006164/frame.html

20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10824056

21. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcb.10338/abstract

22. http://pain-topics.org/pdf/vitamind-report.pdf

23. http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1185/030079908X253519

24. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article756975.ece

25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17556697

26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18065602

27. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamind.html

28. http://www.allaboutdepression.com/dia_03.html

29. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000945.htm

30. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2001/pdf/depression_elderly.pdf

31. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/adhd/content/article/10168/1286863

32. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision: DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 2000a. ISBN 0890420254.

33. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/nimhdepression.pdf

34. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7811158

35. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1387631

36. http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200307/bedfellows-insomnia-and-depression

37. http://www.aafp.org/afp/990600ap/3029.html

38. http://www.bmj.com/content/322/7284/482

Public Discussion