中医药治疗抑郁症的研究进展

目前主流治疗抑郁症的西药有其局限性，而中医药却表现出独特的治疗效果。简要评述了近年来中医药包括针灸治疗抑郁症的基础与临床研究进展，包括中医药抗抑郁的快速性、抑郁症的中医证候分型、中医药抗抑郁的药理学基础、针灸抗抑郁的生物学机制等。提出中医药治疗抑郁症研究应使用系统生物学和多学科、多模块的系统集成方法，发现新靶点并研究其机理，并通过大样本研究与合适的模型，确立疗效（包括快速持久效应），解析抑郁症证候的实质，以改善临床疗效。 

The Research Progress in TCM Treatment of Major Depression

Disease burden caused by major depression ranks on the top. However， current mainstream western medicine with monoamine-based antidepressants has remarkable limitations， in contrast to the unique efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Here we reviewed the recent progress in TCM treatment of the disorder， including clinical outcomes， rapid onset of antidepressant response， treatment based on pattern identification of major depression， novel neuropharmacological mechanisms， and antidepressant effects of acupuncture. The clinical and basic research all supported the antidepressant efficacy of TCM， and some with rapid onset. It is suggested that the future research should address the issues of the standardization of treatment based on pattern identification， disease prevention and treatment outcomes using large population， and emphasize the basic research employing systems biology and multidisciplinary collaborative approaches.