Adjunctive Acupuncture as a Treatment for Bipolar Depression

Patients receive 8 weeks (12 sessions) of acupuncture treatment plus stable medication. Patients are randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture designed to relieve symptoms of depression or acupuncture designed to relieve some other legitimate physical condition. A comparison group of patients who take medication but do not receive acupuncture is assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of medication alone. Patients participate in clinical assessment each week, which includes visiting with a psychiatrist and completing symptom rating scales.