Acupuncture for Depression: Common types of depression and effective treatment options
by | Feb 20, 2023
Categories: Acupuncture, Neuropathy
Winter is something familiar for Albertans and is often a time for self-reflection and introspection. It can also be a time for low mood with the cold weather, deep snowdrifts, and social isolation. Depression is more common in the winter, and it’s often seen with seasonal affective disorder. Both mood disorders are common.
The most common symptoms of depression include insomnia, fatigue, feeling sad, irritability, intrusive thoughts, loss of interest in enjoyable activities, unexpected weight changes, trouble thinking and concentrating, headaches, and body pain – particularly neck and shoulder tension.
Having these symptoms doesn’t mean you have depression, but it can mean that you will benefit from treatments designed to reduce depressive symptoms.
There are many subtypes of depression, but here are the three most common ones:
- Anxious depression is where a person has both depression and anxiety symptoms like worry and restlessness.
- Mixed Depression is where a person has both depression and mania symptoms like speaking quickly and increased energy.
- Seasonal depression is where a person’s depression is linked to the change in seasons at low natural light levels.
Acupuncture treatment is effective, and some treatments have a protective effect that reduces your risk of developing depression again. There are many treatment options, and most treatment options can be combined into effective treatment plans.
Available treatments include talk therapy, medication, exercise, acupuncture, herbs, vitamin d supplements, and more intensive in-hospital treatments. Research has shown that acupuncture reduces the severity of depression more effectively compared to usual care.
Acupuncture for depression is usually a twelve-week course of treatment with 14 -16 acupuncture treatments. After twelve weeks, a full reassessment is recommended, and patients can move to bi-weekly or monthly maintenance treatments. At Accessible Acupuncture, each treatment plan is customized to the patient. Some treatment plans are longer, and some are shorter. We work to find what works for you.
Depression looks different for everyone, and it can be treated with acupuncture no matter how mild or severe the symptoms are. You can take medication for depression and enjoy acupuncture at the same time. To book your acupuncture assessment with Dr. Melanie Morrill Ac. click the book appointment button in the top right corner of your screen or call the clinic at 587-879-7122.
Click here for a recent study on using acupuncture to treat depression.