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Integrative Medicine for Treating Depression: An Update on the Latest Evidence

  • Mood Disorders (SM Strakowski, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Integrative medicine (IntM) is a growing medical trend combining conventional medical approaches with evidence-based complementary therapies to promote well-being. Over half of individuals with depression use some form of IntM for symptom management. The purpose of the current study was to critically review the scientific evidence for IntM techniques in treating adult unipolar depression. We examined randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses published in the last one to three years using PsychINFO, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. The strongest evidence currently exists for mindfulness-based interventions and St. John’s Wort (SJW) as monotherapies, and there is relatively strong evidence to support the use of omega-3 fatty acids and exercise as adjunct therapies. However, there remains an overall lack of methodologically rigorous research to support the efficacy of many other IntM techniques. Providers should be aware that many patients use IntM techniques for depression treatment and inquire regularly about such use.

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Conflict of Interest

Christina M. Luberto, Christopher White, Richard W. Sears, and Sian Cotton declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210376, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0376, USA

    Christina M. Luberto

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati, 2220 Victory Parkway, ML 0566, Cincinnati, OH, 45206-2839, USA

    Christina M. Luberto & Sian Cotton

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, 2220 Victory Parkway, ML 0566, Cincinnati, OH, 45206-2839, USA

    Christopher White

  4. Clinical Psychology Program, Union Institute & University, 440 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45206-1925, USA

    Richard W. Sears

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  1. Christina M. Luberto
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  2. Christopher White
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  4. Sian Cotton
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sian Cotton.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Mood Disorders

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Luberto, C.M., White, C., Sears, R.W. et al. Integrative Medicine for Treating Depression: An Update on the Latest Evidence. Curr Psychiatry Rep 15, 391 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0391-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-013-0391-2

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