Clinical Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine Combined with Psychotherapy in Treatment of Perimenopausal Depression

Objective:To observe the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine combined with psychotherapy in treatment of perimenopausal depression.Methods:Ninety patients were randomly divided into 3 groups:the treatment group received Zishui Qinggan Decoction combined with psychotherapy,the Chinese medicine(CM) control group was treated with Zishui Qinggan Decoction,and the western medicine(WM) control group was given hormone replacement therapy.Serum levels of hormones such as estradiol(E2),luteinizing hormone(LH),and follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),and plasma monoamine neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine(NE),dopamine(DA),and 5-hydroxy tryptamine(5-HT) were detected before and after treatment.Results:The total effective rate was 80.0% in the treatment group,53.3% in the CM control group,and 56.7% in the CM control group,the difference being significant between the treatment group and the other two groups(P 0.05).In three groups,post-treatment serum E2 level was significantly higher,and the levels of FSH and LH were significantly lower than those before treatment(P 0.01).After treatment,no statistical significant difference was found among three groups(P 0.05).Post-treatment plasma NE,DA and 5-HT levels in the treatment group were significantly increased(P 0.01 compared with those before treatment),while in the CM control group and the WM control group,only some of the indexes were significantly increased(P 0.05 compared with those before treatment).There were significant or very significant differences among the treatment group and the other two groups(P 0.05 or P 0.01).Conclusion:Zishui Qinggan Decoction combined with psychotherapy shows satisfactory therapeutic effect on perimenopausal depression.