Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression

Abstract

Objectives: To review the evidence for the effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression. Data sources: Systematic literature search using PubMed, PsycLit, the Cochrane Library and previous review papers. Data synthesis: Thirty-seven treatments were identified and grouped under the categories of medicines, physical treatments, lifestyle, and dietary changes. We give a description of each treatment, the rationale behind the treatment, a review of studies on effectiveness, and the level of evidence for the effectiveness studies. Results: The treatments with the best evidence of effectiveness are St John's wort, exercise, bibliotherapy involving cognitive behaviour ther..