J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Feb; 8(1): 93-6.

Surveys of complementary and alternative medicine: Part V. Use of alternative and complementary therapies for psychiatric and neurologic diseases.

Sparber A, Wootton JC.

Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. asparber@nih.gov

Surveys of general complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use have suggested an association with high levels of depression and anxiety. This raises the question of whether anxious or depressed people seek CAM, or whether there are underlying factors associated with long-term chronic illness. There is no clear indication from four surveys of psychiatric patients. These are summarized and presented. A separate table summarizes three studies of patients with neurologic diseases, two of patients with multiple sclerosis, and one of a mixed patient population. More studies are amassing in specific disease areas, although it is difficult to detect clear trends because of methodological and terminological incompatibilities.