Complementary and alternative medicine therapies for perinatal depression.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review the evidence for bright light therapy as a complementary treatment for perinatal depression.
Results Summary
The abstract suggests that bright light therapy may be reasonable to consider for perinatal depression, but systematic determination of its safety and efficacy relative to standard treatments is still needed.
Population
Women during pregnancy or postpartum with perinatal depression.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
omega-3 fatty acids | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #1 |
folate | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #2 |
S-adenosyl-methionine | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #3 |
St John's Wort | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #4 |
bright light therapy | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #5 |
exercise | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #6 |
massage | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #7 |
acupuncture | no change | perinatal depression | women during pregnancy or postpartum | - | may be reasonable to consider | #8 |
Complementary and alternative medicine therapies are increasingly sought out by people with psychiatric disorders. In this chapter, we review the evidence for several commonly used CAM therapies (i.e. omega-3 fatty acids, folate, S-adenosyl-methionine, St John's Wort, bright light therapy, exercise, massage, and acupuncture) in the treatment of perinatal depression. A number of these treatments may be reasonable to consider for women during pregnancy or postpartum, but the safety and efficacy of these relative to standard treatments must still be systematically determined. Evidence-based use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies treatments for perinatal depression is discussed. Adequately powered systematic studies are necessary to determine the role of complementary and alternative medicine therapies in the treatment of perinatal depression.