Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation as an adjunct therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled study.
Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) is thought to have potential to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).



The purpose of this study was to determine whether adding TEAS to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and clomipramine would improve the efficacy of these conventional treatments in OCD.



In this randomized controlled trial, 360 OCD patients were assigned to receive TEAS combined with CBT plus clomipramine (Group A, n = 120), TEAS combined with CBT plus placebo (Group B, n = 120), and simulated (placebo) TEAS combined with CBT plus clomipramine (Group C, n = 120) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was measured using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).



OCD symptoms in all patients reduced over time, however Groups A and B had a significantly greater reduction in Y-BOCS total score and the subscale for obsession and compulsion between week 2 and week 12 compared to Group C. Groups A and B had similar scores on these measures. Both groups had significantly higher rates of clinical response than Group C (88.3% and 81.7% vs. 67.5%, respectively, p < 0.001); and higher rates of remission (30.0% and 22.5% vs. 9.2%, respectively, p < 0.001). Group B experienced fewer adverse events than the other two groups.



TEAS enhances the efficacy of conventional OCD interventions and avoids the adverse effects associated with conventional pharmacological treatment. It can be considered as an effective adjunct intervention for OCD.
Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Bin
B
Feng
School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: zhangzj@hku.hk.
Zhang-Jin
ZJ
Zhang
Department of Psychiatry, Yiwu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.
Rui-Ming
RM
Zhu
Department of Psychiatry, Wuxi Mental Health Center, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.
Guo-Zhen
GZ
Yuan
The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Li-Yuan
LY
Luo
Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
Grainne M
GM
McAlonan
Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Fang-Zhong
FZ
Xu
Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Jiong
J
Chen
Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Lan-Ying
LY
Liu
The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Yang-Yang
YY
Lv
School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Hei Kiu
HK
Wong
Department of Psychiatry, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Ying
Y
Zhang
Department of Psychiatry, Yiwu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.
Li-Xia
LX
Zhu
D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D002997:Clomipramine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Clomipramine; Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD); Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs); Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS); Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)