Intradermal Needle Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder

SSRIs antidepressants will be used and the oral dose will be determined by the clinical specialist. Once-daily for 6 weeks.

This study will use the intradermal needle as an acupuncture intervention. Acupoints related to MDD will be stimulated. According to the position of the acupoints, choose a needle of φ0.20\*1.5m or φ0.20\*1.2mm. Press the needle to insert the acupoint vertically and retain it in the skin. After the intervention, the needle will be retained for 72 hours with a day of rest after removal. During needle retention, participants will be instructed to press the acupoints 3-4 times a day for about 1 minute each time, with the amount of stimulation as much as the patient can tolerate, at an interval of about 4 hours. A total of 10 treatment sessions will be performed for 6 weeks.

Sham acupuncture will use the same size, color, and material as the verum intradermal needle with a thin silicone pad in the middle instead of the needle body. The sham acupuncture will be needled on the points 1cm lateral to MDD-related acupoints. After the intervention, the needle will be retained for 72 hours with a day of rest after removal. A total of 10 sessions will be performed for 6 weeks.

Oral placebo mimicking SSRIs antidepressants. Once-daily for 6 weeks.