Acupuncture for persistent insomnia associated with major depressive disorder: a randomised controlled trial.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric condition. A sizable proportion of patients with MDD partially respond to mainstream treatment and are left with residual symptoms, of which insomnia is the most common.1 Although pharmacological and psychological treatments may help to alleviate residual insomnia, both have limitations. The use of complementary and alternative medicine therapies for insomnia has become more common. Acupuncture is one of the most popular procedures. In 2011, we published the first randomised trial of electroacupuncture for residual insomnia associated with MDD.2 Electroacupuncture and minimal acupuncture were comparable and more efficacious than placebo control. In the present study, we aimed to enhance the efficacy of acupuncture for insomnia by augmenting essential acupoints. We hypothesised that electroacupuncture was significantly more efficacious than minimal acupuncture and placebo acupuncture for the treatment of residual insomnia in MDD.