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Complementary and alternative medicine usage for behavioral health indications.

Primary care
June 1, 2010
Michele M Larzelere et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the evidence supporting Inositol's use as a complementary treatment for depression and anxiety.

Results Summary

The study found insufficient evidence to support Inositol's antidepressant benefit, though there was preliminary supportive evidence for its use in anxiety treatment.

Population

Not specified (general review of evidence for depression and anxiety disorders).

Effective Dosage

Not available

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (16)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
St. John's wort (SJW)
decrease
depression
-
-
strong evidence to support the use
#1
omega-3 fatty acids
decrease
depression
-
-
growing support for the use
#2
S-adenosyl-l-methionine
decrease
depression
-
-
growing support for the use
#3
dehydroepiandrosterone
no change
depression
-
-
evidence is insufficient to support the antidepressant benefit
#4
inositol
no change
depression
-
-
evidence is insufficient to support the antidepressant benefit
#5
folate
no change
depression
-
-
evidence is insufficient to support the antidepressant benefit
#6
saffron
no change
depression
-
-
evidence is insufficient to support the antidepressant benefit
#7
kava
decrease
anxiety disorders
-
-
has high-quality evidence for use
#8
valerian
decrease
anxiety
-
-
preliminary supportive evidence
#9
inositol
decrease
anxiety
-
-
preliminary supportive evidence
#10
St. John's wort (SJW)
no change
anxiety
-
-
little research support
#11
passionflower
no change
anxiety
-
-
little research support
#12
melatonin
decrease
delayed sleep phase, jet lag, or shift work
-
-
likely to be useful in treating
#13
valerian
no change
sleep disorders
-
-
little evidence for the benefit
#14
zinc
no change
ADHD
-
-
no evidence-supported CAM treatments
#15
omega-3 fatty acids
no change
ADHD
-
-
no evidence-supported CAM treatments
#16
Abstract

Evidence on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities in the treatment of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is reviewed. There is strong evidence to support the use of St. John's wort (SJW) in depression, and growing support for the use of omega-3 fatty acids and S-adenosyl-l-methionine as potential adjuncts to conventional therapies. Evidence is insufficient to support the antidepressant benefit of dehydroepiandrosterone, inositol, folate, and saffron. Only kava has high-quality evidence for use in the treatment of anxiety disorders, and its use is discouraged because of safety concerns. There is preliminary supportive evidence for valerian and inositol treatment of anxiety, but SJW and passionflower have achieved little research support. Melatonin is likely to be useful in treating delayed sleep phase, jet lag, or shift work, but there is little evidence for the benefit of valerian compared with placebo. There are currently no evidence-supported CAM treatments for ADHD (zinc and omega-3 fatty acids are reviewed).

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnxietyAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityComplementary TherapiesDepressionHumansMental DisordersPhytotherapySleep Wake Disorders
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy20/10
Quality60/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations11
Citations/Year0.7
Relative Citation Ratio0.44
NIH Percentile23.7%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.01
Normalized Score0.40
Related Supplements
Complementary and alternative medicine usage for behavioral ... | Panacea Index