Homeopathic treatments in psychiatry: a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled studies.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review placebo-controlled randomized trials of homeopathy
for psychiatric conditions. DATA SOURCES: Eligible studies were identified using the
following databases from database inception to April 2010: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO,
Hom-Inform, Cochrane CENTRAL, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
grantee publications database, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Gray literature was also searched
using Google, Google Scholar, the European Committee for Homeopathy, inquiries with
homeopathic experts and manufacturers, and the bibliographic lists of included published
studies and reviews. Search terms were as follows: (homeopath* or homoeopath*) and
(placebo or sham) and (anxiety or panic or phobia or post-traumatic stress or PTSD
or obsessive-compulsive disorder or fear or depress* or dysthym* or attention deficit
hyperactivity or premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual disorder or premenstrual dysphoric
disorder or traumatic brain injury or fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome or
myalgic encephalitis or insomnia or sleep disturbance). Searches included only English-language
literature that reported randomized controlled trials in humans. STUDY SELECTION:
Trials were included if they met 7 criteria and were assessed for possible bias using
the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 50 guidelines. Overall assessments
were made using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation
procedure. Identified studies were grouped into anxiety or stress, sleep or circadian
rhythm complaints, premenstrual problems, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,
mild traumatic brain injury, and functional somatic syndromes. RESULTS: Twenty-five
eligible studies were identified from an initial pool of 1,431. Study quality according
to SIGN 50 criteria varied, with 6 assessed as good, 9 as fair, and 10 as poor. Outcome
was unrelated to SIGN quality. Effect size could be calculated in 16 studies, and
number needed to treat, in 10 studies. Efficacy was found for the functional somatic
syndromes group (fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome), but not for anxiety or
stress. For other disorders, homeopathy produced mixed effects. No placebo-controlled
studies of depression were identified. Meaningful safety data were lacking in the
reports, but the superficial findings suggested good tolerability of homeopathy. A
funnel plot in 13 studies did not support publication bias (χ(2)(1) = 1.923, P = .166).
CONCLUSIONS: The database on studies of homeopathy and placebo in psychiatry is very
limited, but results do not preclude the possibility of some benefit.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnxietyHomeopathy
Humans
Mental Disorders
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Sample Size
Stress, Psychological
Treatment Outcome
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13051Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.4088/JCP.10r06580Publication Info
Davidson, Jonathan RT; Crawford, Cindy; Ives, John A; & Jonas, Wayne B (2011). Homeopathic treatments in psychiatry: a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled
studies. J Clin Psychiatry, 72(6). pp. 795-805. 10.4088/JCP.10r06580. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/13051.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Jonathan R.T. Davidson
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Currently, my research focuses upon the theoretical aspects of homeopathy and its
clinical utilization, as well as the broader field of alternative (complementary)
medicine. this is a field which has traditionally been overlooked as a legitimate
scientific discipline. Other areas of activity are as in the past, i.e., clinical
treatment, epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress, social
phobia, other anxiety status, and depression. These are illustrated by recent pu

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