Abstract

Acupuncture therapy has been known as a practice related to oriental medicine, and recently has been detected as a potential therapeutic tool for which there is good scientific evidence. Depression and anxiety are usually classified as mental illnesses and it is more useful to think of them as disturbances in brain health, which is directly related to the physical makeup and brain mechanisms and emotional and relational issues. The ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture could be used for the treatment of depression and anxiety, instead of drugs. The purpose of this review was to summarize the existing evidence on acupuncture as a treatment for anxiety and depression. Search of the literature on acupuncture treatment was limited to specific mental health conditions: depression and anxiety disorder. The literature review focused on systematic reviews. Search focused on the latest versions. The available resources provide some evidence that acupuncture is an effective treatment for these conditions. The findings of the studies show that acupuncture can play an important role in the treatment of depression and anxiety.