Overview of acupuncture as a natural treatment for depression and whether acupuncture works in treating depression.

What is it?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese treatment that has become increasingly popular in many parts of the world. Acupuncturists insert needles at particular points in the body and then manipulate these needles. Sometimes electric current is put through the needles. This is known as 'electroacupuncture'.

How does it work?

According to Chinese medicine there are two types of energy which flow through channels in the body. Illness results from an imbalance of these energies. Acupuncturists insert needles at particular points along the channels to correct the imbalance. Western scientists have come up with other explanations for the effects of acupuncture. Some research has found that acupuncture produces an increase in brain chemicals that are believed to be in short supply in people who are depressed.

Is it effective?

A number of studies have found that acupuncture helps depression and that it may be as effective as antidepressant drugs. However, the number of studies is still small. Some of these studies have looked at acupuncture with needles only, while others have looked at electroacupuncture for treatment of depression. Treatment typically involved acupuncture several times a week for 1 to 2 months. More research is needed to find out what type of acupuncture is best.

Are there any disadvantages?

None known, apart from discomfort from the acupuncture needles. Single-use needles are required.

Where do you get it?

Acupuncturists are listed in the Yellow Pages. Some GPs also practice acupuncture.

Recommendation - Alternative Treatment for Depression

Acupuncture appears to be a promising treatment for depression, but more research is needed to be sure it is effective.

Key references

Allen JBJ, Schnyer RN, Hitt SK. The efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of major depression in women. Psychological Science 1998; 9: 397-401.

Luo H, Meng F, Jia Y, Zhao X. Clinical research on the therapeutic effect of the electro-acupuncture treatment in patients with depression. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 1998; 52: S338-340.

back to: Alternative Treatments for Depression

Fact I know; and Law I know; but what is this Necessity, save an empty shadow of my own mind's throwing?
Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-95), English biologist.

ob·ses·sion 1 : a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly : compelling motivation 2 : something that causes an obsession com·pul·sion 1 a : an act of compelling : the state of being compelled b : a force that compels 2 : an irresistible impulse to perform an irrational act Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Though under-employed, I was able to hold a job and eventually remarried and adjusted to not being able to do most of the things I wanted. So life continued until my drinking became more problematic than the reasons I was drinking.

Then I got sober.

When I did, everything fell apart. Along with experiencing all of those thing's one goes through in recovery from alcoholism, the OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) exploded, wildly out of control. For the first time I sought help. I did not know that what I had was a disorder or that others had it or that there was treatment available. I just thought I was crazy.

It's been ten years now since diagnosis and the start of treatment. I have tried all the current medications(5) singly and in combinations and Behavior Therapy(6). Success has been fleeting and temporary but I have not yet lost hope. Since that time I lost my career and the ability to hold even the most meaningless job. The OCD I strive to manage is considered severe, there is virtually no time during the day that it is not effecting my life. Not only am I a "washer," but I have "pure" or raw obsessions also. That aspect, the raw obsession, is probably the most distressing. I have no obvious, or at least successful behavior to stop the obsessing. There is no obvious behavior to confront, so treatment with behavior modification is hard to define. But today is a new day.

That's the tale, in part. I do not know in what directions it will go, nor do I know the end. I will admit that the minimal gains I have made in reducing the symptoms of the disorder have been discouraging, especially when most people are able to achieve significant improvement with treatment. I will not despair. Today I know, most of the time, that the OCD is not me. It is just something that effects me. I can fight against that fact or apply the energy that would require to taking back my life each day. I have been able to achieve a measure of peace and am not unhappy. There is more to this tale, much more.

Over time, as these pages change more will appear. Some of it is found now on my other pages. It is my hope that this page, my story, will help to increase awareness. If one person, in stopping by here, finds something of themselves and seeks help, then the reasons for this page are met.

I am not a doctor, therapist or professional in the treatment of OCD. This site reflects my experience and my opinions only, unless otherwise stated. I am not responsible for the content of links I may point to or any content or advertising in HealthyPlace.com other then my own.

Always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment choice or changes in your treatment. Never discontinue treatment or medication without first consulting your physician, clinician or therapist.

Content of Doubt and Other Disorders
copyright ©1996-2002 All Rights Reserved

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Fact I know; and Law I know; but what is this Necessity, save an empty shadow of my own mind's throwing?
Thomas Henry Huxley (1825- 95), English biologist.

ob·ses·sion 1 : a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly : compelling motivation 2 : something that causes an obsession com·pul·sion 1 a : an act of compelling : the state of being compelled b : a force that compels 2 : an irresistible impulse to perform an irrational act Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I know my hands are clean. I know that I have touched nothing dangerous. But... I doubt my perception

Soon, if I do not wash, a mind numbing, searing anxiety will cripple me. A feeling of stickiness will begin to spread from the point of contamination and I will be lost in a place I do not want to go. So I wash until the feeling is gone, until the anxiety subsides. Then I feel defeated. So I do less and less, my world becomes smaller and smaller and more lonely by the day. You see, you might have touched something and now you are unsafe.

This is OCD.

I have come to look at periods of my life, held together by some common thread, as "seasons". It was 1960, I was ten, when I experienced my first "season" of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).(1).

While I, in looking back, had several discrete seasons of the disorder before 1960, this was the first of the long-lasting and incapacitating events. For the better part of a year, intrusive and horrifying thoughts about death and dying, heaven and hell and eternity filled my every waking moment. Scary enough stuff for a ten year old, but this had an accompanying unremitting anxiety. The only relief I could find was in praying and church and confession. Today, I know this is "scrupulosity". After about a year, the obsessions(2) stopped as suddenly as they came

Never did I tell anyone about what was happening to me. This, for me, seems to be part of the process, to suffer in silence.(3) Today, if I keep it silent, it's because the behaviors and thoughts are, I know, ridiculous and I prefer to avoid embarrassment. It was part of the whole obsession when I was ten. The obsession required me to be silent, except in the confessional.

The decade of the sixties found me experiencing occasional seasons of obsession though mostly not of a religious nature. It also found me engaging in behavior that resulted in or at least started the other disease process in my life, addiction. While I did not realize it at the time, as I was having too much fun, I was self-medicating the strange thinking away.

In 1971, everything changed. I developed, literally overnight, another form of the disorder. I became a "washer."(4) I became obsessed with fears of contamination and had to wash to relieve the anxiety. I had to wash in a specific way and a certain number of times depending on the "contamination".

Within a manner of weeks I became crippled. I could touch nothing without triggering the anxiety and the accompanying behavior, washing. There was no safe place. It forced me to drop out of school. My marriage deteriorated rapidly and eventually she left. If that would have happened without the OCD, I do not know, but it certainly contributed.

At this point, I found increased functionality in the use of alcohol. A drug I had previously avoided. In the drinking, I found I could get through the day. It was the only thing that gave me any distance from the insanity that my life had become.

A distance I desperately needed.

I am not a doctor, therapist or professional in the treatment of OCD. This site reflects my experience and my opinions only, unless otherwise stated. I am not responsible for the content of links I may point to or any content or advertising in HealthyPlace.com other then my own.

Always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment choice or changes in your treatment. Never discontinue treatment or medication without first consulting your physician, clinician or therapist.

Content of Doubt and Other Disorders
copyright ©1996-2002 All Rights Reserved

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Doubt is thought's despair; despair is personality's doubt. . .;
Doubt and despair . . . belong to completely different spheres; different sides of the soul are set in motion. . .
Despair is an expression of the total personality, doubt only of thought. -
Søren Kierkegaard

doubt 1 a : uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making b : a deliberate suspension of judgment 2 : a state of affairs giving rise to uncertainty, hesitation, or suspense 3 a : a lack of confidence : DISTRUST b : an inclination not to believe or accept dis·or·der 1 : to disturb the order of 2 : to disturb the regular or normal functions of Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

"Tammy"

Hi my name is "Tammy" and I do believe I have obsessive compulsive disorder as well as general anxiety disorder.

I remember as a small child I was continually preoccupied with weather or not we had enough food in the house, if we were running low on something I would stress until my mother replenished the supply. This still holds true 25 years later. I can not run out of any household supplies or I feel overwhelmed. I also have an obsession with fire I am 28 years old and have never lit a lighter or match. I remember whenever my mother would have a small grease fire on the stove, I would run out into the street to get away from the fire. I would not return until I was certain that the fire was out. While a teenager I remember never being able to fall asleep until my father woke up, I was prone to stay up and fire watch to keep us all safe. My obsession with fire has somewhat subsided, only due to the fact that I control my house environment with four smoke alarms, a CO2 detector, and fire extinguishers. And even though I know in my mind that is plenty my instincts tell me I need more.

My other obsession is with death. Everyday I am plagued with thoughts of death, that of loved ones and/or myself. I vision how I, as well as others, would cope. I can't shake the feelings of sorrow and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to rid my head of these thoughts. I am sick. I worry continually about the actions I am taking as if they are my last, or someone I care abouts last. I never want to end anything on a bad note, for fear that I may never see them again due to death. I perform ritualistic tasks so that every time I leave everything will be constant. People think I am crazy. Am I? I also have doubt in myself, did I remember to lock the door? I can not rest until I get up and check my self every time the though enters my head, I feel that if I do not check this time it would be the time that I should have. The same goes for the stove, the water supplies in the basement, saying my prayers and thanking the Lord. If I think it I must do it, or it consumes me.

I am afraid of driving and every day my fear gets worse. I am afraid of having an accident, hurting someone else or hurting myself. I hardly drive now as a result and I have to be drove to work for two reasons the fear of driving and the ritual to keep things the same. When I do drive I am on edge afraid to do anything but drive straight. Turns, merges, lane changes bring on panic and the shakes. If by rare occasion I do drive I am afraid to take passengers for fear of getting them hurt in an accident. I also fear of making mistakes and not being perfect. It effects me because I try so hard at everything I appear clumsy. It is that I am only trying to do it as fast and perfect as possible so that I please people. My relationships have failed because I loved too much, and I now seek to get help and control from the monster within me, so I can regain my life. I want it back. And I hope it is not too late. I don't know if my loved ones understand. They tease me and say I am nuts, if they only knew how close I am to that. They would eat their words.

I also have general Anxiety Disorder, I can't stop planning everyday tasks. Not while visiting friends and family, while working, resting, relaxing or sleeping. The everyday routines hang in my thoughts. I plan out even the smallest details, and think about the what if's. I plan for them too. I worry about stuff that the normal person would just do or not do. Dishes, dusting, making the bed etc., etc. all while working a full time job, I force myself to stay on top of all of this, to the point that I never get time to myself, because I never have enough time to squeeze everything in so it gets pushed off on to the next day and then with even more stuff to do I am even more stressed out. This cycle never ends I am never done! Everyday it is something.

I have not turned to illegal drugs or alcohol yet, I have no addiction there, I have started taking Paxil but it is too soon to tell if this will help, I do feel better and I need to get on the right track to recovery.

I am not a doctor, therapist or professional in the treatment of CD. This site reflects my experience and my opinions only, unless otherwise stated. I am not responsible for the content of links I may point to or any content or advertising in HealthyPlace.com other then my own.

Always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment choice or changes in your treatment. Never discontinue treatment or medication without first consulting your physician, clinician or therapist.

Content of Doubt and Other Disorders
copyright ©1996-2009 All Rights Reserved

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Home Study

• Don't Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks
• The Don't Panic Self-Help Kit

When you do decide to help yourself become more comfortable socially, you will be able to use all the skills and understandings covered throughout the Panic Attack Self-Help Program. Let me briefly remind you of some of these. Do not be misled by the fact that I describe them in only a few sentences. Most of these skills reflect the foundation upon which mental health professionals treat many anxiety disorders. After you have read the previous sections of this social anxieties self-help program, turn to the Panic Attack Self-Help Program to start your self-help program. Refer to The Seven Issues of Recovery and How to Get Comfortable any time you need to clarify your special concerns.

Step 2 It will be important to understand the body's anxiety reaction and how the mind plays a significant part in those symptoms.

Step 3 Study the value of the right attitude when facing symptoms.

Step 4 Master the basics of relaxation.

Step 5 Practice the breathing skills.

Step 6 Study the important principle of paradox.

Step 7 of the Panic Attack Self-Help Guide will link all the skills together by outlining a step-by-step program for facing your actual feared situations. Use Step 7 as your guide to putting all these skills and principles, including those within The Seven Issues of Recovery and How to Get Comfortable, into practice.

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Doubt is thought's despair; despair is personality's doubt. . .;
Doubt and despair . . . belong to completely different spheres; different sides of the soul are set in motion. . .
Despair is an expression of the total personality, doubt only of thought. -
Søren Kierkegaard

doubt 1 a : uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making b : a deliberate suspension of judgment 2 : a state of affairs giving rise to uncertainty, hesitation, or suspense 3 a : a lack of confidence : DISTRUST b : an inclination not to believe or accept dis·or·der 1 : to disturb the order of 2 : to disturb the regular or normal functions of Definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary

"Ryan"

My name is Ryan and I have OCD.

I believe that I have had subtle symptoms for most of my life. Not the type that can incapacitate you, but odd little quirks. I was a fearful child and had a great deal of anxiety about my life and anything changing in it. The couple of quirks that come to mind are having to take either an odd or even number of cold cuts when making a sandwich ,or chewing first on one side of my mouth then the other. Strange little rituals of waving my hands or shrugging my shoulders were some others. This may seem like a lot but at the time, no one noticed nor did it create a problem for me.

Fast forward to my mid twenties, my future wife developed panic attacks and I was instrumental in helping her deal with them. I told her that her fears were irrational and she needed to face them. At this point in my life I was very outgoing and believe it or not, not very fearful, things were going great for me.

My wife and I married a few years later and I thought we had it made. Little did I know that my problem (unbeknownst to me) had to rear its ugly head. Picture this, married one year with a new baby, a new house, new mortgage, new responsibilities and I just lost my dog. They say stress makes OCD appear or get worse and I guess they're right!! I was given the news that I might have to take a minor medication for a small congenital problem that they just discovered. NO big deal right? Wrong , I spent six months researching all I could about something my doctor, three specialists and a national organization told me was absolutely harmless. My parents and wife said that I was driving them crazy with all my talking and obsessing about a non-issue. As a result of this I fell into a depression and went to a psychologist who didn't believe me or my family that I was obsessed with this idea. It wasn't until two years later that I found out OCD can sometimes manifest itself around real health concerns. Another psychologist and one out-patient visit to a local hospital and still no one was able to help me. Believe it or not , this episode I was able to recover from and come to terms with on my own. Thank Goodness that's over I said.

Guess again, one year later my life had been going pretty well and I was enjoying my new daughter. Out of the blue I started asking myself did I just smell her hair in a sexual way, or does she arouse me ? I was so upset I told my parents and my wife. My family was shocked and told me those were crazy thoughts. My wife yelled at me to straighten out or get the hell out. For two weeks this worked. Then the thoughts just crept back in and I found myself constantly thinking and worrying about them at work. I finally had to tell my family the thoughts were back because I was in a depression over them. I refused to sleep upstairs, change or touch my daughter for fear of abusing her. My wife was terrified hearing all these things from me as well. Luckily, I went to a psychiatrist who diagnosed this problem correctly this time and was able to help me. My wife and family were crying to hear from this doctor that I was not a molester. I should have to but that damn OCD wouldn't let me relax.

It's been a year since my diagnosis and with a combination of meds and behavior therapy I am doing great. I totally interact with my daughter, baths, hugs , etc. I am not going to say that I never have bad times, but at least when I do, I can recognize what is going on. I've even started a support group in my area for OCD. The main reason I am writing this is to let other OCDers know that they are not alone and that while not many people talk about this type of OCD, it is definitely one of the more common ones. Hang in there, there is definitely hope.

I am not a doctor, therapist or professional in the treatment of CD. This site reflects my experience and my opinions only, unless otherwise stated. I am not responsible for the content of links I may point to or any content or advertising in HealthyPlace.com other then my own.

Always consult a trained mental health professional before making any decision regarding treatment choice or changes in your treatment. Never discontinue treatment or medication without first consulting your physician, clinician or therapist.

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