The effect of acupoint stimulation as an adjuvant therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Acupoint stimulation as an add-on was associated with modestly lower obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom scores
The effect of acupoint stimulation as an adjuvant therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a debilitating psychiatric condition associated with significant functional impairment.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupoint stimulation as an adjunctive treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Randomized controlled trials (randomized controlled trials) investigating acupoint stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder were included.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms eased more with acupoint stimulation added on
Compared with the controls, acupoint stimulation was associated with greater improvement in obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The combination of acupoint stimulation with both pharmacotherapy and CBT yielded the largest Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale reduction among subgroups examined (3 studies; MD -3.50, 95% CI [-4.34, -2.66]; p < 0.00001).
Regarding safety, the acupoint stimulation group had fewer reported adverse events than medication controls (RR = 0.17, 95% CI [0.06, 0.51], p < 0.0001).
This meta-analysis found that acupoint stimulation, whether used alone or as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy or CBT, was associated with a mean reduction of approximately 3.14 points on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale.
On a 0-40 scale, with substantial heterogeneity across studies, variable control conditions, and inconsistent methodological quality, this reduction is statistically significant but of uncertain clinical relevance.
The evidence does not support a firm conclusion that acupoint stimulation is clinically effective, and the safety data are insufficient to establish acupoint stimulation as safe.