Influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Musical Therapy on Depression Severity and Neurological Functional Deficit Scale in Patients with Post-Stroke Depression

Objective: To observe the influence of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) five-element musical therapy on depression severity and neurological functional deficit scale in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD), so as to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of this method, observe the adverse reactions and evaluate its safety. Methods: A total of 92 patients with PSD were randomly divided into control group (n = 32), treatment group A (n= 30) and treatment group B (n=30). All groups were given basic therapies for cerebral infarction, on which basis control group was added with oral Sertraline Hydrochloride Tablets, while treatment group A with needling Baihui plus acupoint injection on Yanglingquan. On the basis of treatment group A, treatment group B was added with five-element musical therapy. Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD)-17 and neorological functional deficit symptom severity score (1995) (SSS for short) before and after treatment were observed and efficaccy was evaluaed in all groups. Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) was compared and safety was evaluated. Results: HAMD score decreased to some extent in all groups, which was markedly higher in treatment group B than that in treatment group A, and there was significant difference (P<;0.01). Comparison of neurological funtional deficit SSS showed that treatment group B was markedly higher than treatment group A and control group in SSS score, and there were significat differences (P<;0.01). Comparison of TESS among 3 groups indicated that TESS score was the highest in control group, but the lowest in treatment group B, and the differences among 3 groups were significant (P<;0.01). Conclusion: Needling, acupoint injection combined with five-element musical therapy based on principle of "treatment of both body and mind" can effectively improve the depression severity and neurological functional deficit severity of patients with PSD, which is less in adverse reactions than western medicines and is more likely to be accepted by patients, thus deserving to be popularized in clinic.