Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Patient Characteristics, Placebo-Response Rates, and Treatment Outcomes Relative to Standard Antidepressants.

The article presents a meta-analysis of patient characteristics, placebo-response rates and treatment results in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and standard antidepressants for major depressive disorder (MDD). Among the CAM medicine used for the trials included St. John's wort, omega-3 fatty acids and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). Researchers found that women have a lower placebo-response rate compared to participants in standard antidepressant trials for MDD.