Volume 179, 1 July 2015, Pages 101–113
Review
The use of complementary and alternative medicine in adults with depressive disorders. A critical integrative review
Abstract
Background
Depression
has been identified as one of the most frequent indications for CAM use
and is a strong predictor of CAM use. The present article provides a
critical review of CAM use for depressive disorders including bipolar
depression by addressing prevalence of CAM use and CAM users׳
characteristics, motivation, decision-making and communication with
healthcare providers.
Methods
A
comprehensive search of 2003–2014 international literature in the
Medline, CINAHL, AMED, and SCOPUS databases was conducted. The search
was confined to peer-reviewed articles published in English with
abstracts and reporting new empirical research findings regarding CAM
use and depressive disorders.
Results
A
considerable level of CAM use was observed among both general and
clinical populations of people suffering from depressive disorders, many
of whom use CAM concurrently with their conventional medicine. In
particular, high rates of CAM use were found among those with bipolar
disorder, an illness known to cause substantial impairments in
health-related quality of life. Concomitant prescription medication use
ranged from 0.52% to as high as 100%.
Limitations
Study
design such as the inclusion of bipolar and depression in the same
diagnostic category hamper the differentiation and attribution of CAM
usage for symptoms.
Conclusion
Findings
of our review show that enduring impairments in function and
persistence of symptoms (as reflected by increased CAM use proportional
to severity of illness and comorbidity) are the impetus for sufferers of
depressive illness to seek out CAM. The psychosocial factors associated
with CAM use in depressive illnesses and severe mental illness are yet
to be established. Subsequent research amongst those with depressive
disorders would be informative in clarifying the range of motivations
associated with mental illness.
Keywords
- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM);
- Depression;
- Bipolar disorder;
- Review
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
