Depression Case Studies

David Hartmann Case Studies on Depression

These two case studies were written up for my Brisbane Chinese Medicine (BCM) workshop on the 26th November 2017. I have decided to do a blog post because a lot of my readers couldn't attend the workshop - and I didn't want you to miss out on what I discussed.

The idea was to give the attendees a couple of cases of past patients; ones that were not complicated. The reason I chose this over more complex cases was to show the attendees that not everyone with severe signs and symptoms have to have a complex Chinese medicine diagnosis.

So let's get into it shall we?

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Case Study No.1.

Male 19 years old

Key complaints:

* Severe suicidal depression. Suicide was going to be jumping in front of a train. 

* Insomnia – woke anywhere from 10-50 times a night and/or nightmares. He didn’t actually know he had insomnia because he had always slept like that. He thought insomnia was being unable to get to sleep – not one of his problems. 

* Bad upbringing – was very poor. No father. No solid girlfriend relationship. No friends. Bad grades at school. Was bullied all the time. Had a great mother though that tried very hard. 

* Had no idea why he was even on the Earth – what was his purpose/point to life. 

* Worked for the dole. 

* Bad diet – mostly toast and butter or toast and tomato paste, or leftover pizza. 

* Lived/flatted with a bulimic girl (just a friend) who was a manager of a Pizza Hut – hence the pizza. 

* Mother tried her best but she was very poor and lived 7 hours away. 

* Other signs – vertigo, blurry vision, floaters, pale skin, muscular cramps, brittle nails (he did chew his nails mercilessly), dry hair, easily startled, heart flutters (he called them ‘his butterflies’), plum-stone throat. 

* Tongue – pale with orange sides. Thin and dry. 

* Pulse – thin and choppy.

Diagnosis – Liver and Heart Xue (Blood) Xu.

Treatment – was 12 weekly treatments (he was very reliable and never missed a single appointment).

Points ranged between:

* LR 3, LR 8, LR 14.

* HT 3, HT 5, HT 7.

* PC 6, PC 7.

* BL 15, BL 17, BL 18, BL 20.

* GB 24, GB 40.

* LI 4 – combined with LR 3 (open the four gates).

* GV 20.

* CV 4, CV 14, CV 15, CV 17.

* Yin Tang.

Outcome – significantly happier (almost from the first session); not suicidal anymore; started studying and loved his new career pathway; felt he had a purpose/a reason for being.

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Case Study No.2.

Male 31 years old

Key complaints:

* Severely depressed/suicidal. Preferred suicide option was driving off a perfectly good hill. 

* Insomnia – woke up 10-50 times a night with/without nightmares.

* Had a wife with two kids – a third on the way.

* Alcoholic – in the middle of a 500 day cleanse. Went to AA but didn’t help. Made him want to drink more.

* Other signs – stressed, angry, frustrated, feeling overwhelmed, irritable, headaches (behind and just above the left eye and occipital region around GB 20), vertigo, blurry vision, pressure changes in the ears (tinnitus?), floaters, red face, muscular cramps, brittle nails (he did chew his nails mercilessly), dry hair, easily startled, plum-stone throat, dry mouth and throat.

* Tongue – pale with reddish sides. Thin and dry.

* Pulse – thin and wiry.

Diagnosis – Liver Yang Rising and Heart Xue (Blood) Xu.

Treatment – was 15 treatments over a six month period. He did have four weekly treatments to start the process and then it was every two weeks after that.

Points ranged between:

* LR 2, LR 3, LR 8, LR 14.

* HT 3, HT 5, HT 7.

* PC 6, PC 7.

* BL 2, BL 10, BL 15, BL 17, BL 18, BL 20.

* GB 14, GB 20, GB 24, GB 34, GB 40.

* LI 4 – combined with LR 3 (open the four gates).

* GV 20.

* CV 4, CV 14, CV 15, CV 17.

* Yin Tang.

Outcome – significantly happier (almost from the first session); not suicidal anymore; started re-engaging with his family again; got right into fitness and sport which made him happier still; free of suicidal thoughts.

Other acupuncture point options could include:

* LR 4 – I can love myself again; I give permission to myself to love myself again.

* SP 21 – Tian Di Ren balancer. Helps you embrace Heaven, Earth, and Human again.

* HT 3 – happy point – stimulates endorphins.

* TE 5 – clear Fire.

* SP 6 and ST 36 – tonify underlying Xue Xu.

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Perhaps a lot of the points were fairly obvious and maybe some were surprising. If you wanted to know why I chose the points I did feel free to ask me.

Each treatment had a range of 8-16 needles used - see my previous blog on my treatment style for more information there.

If you have any other questions please let me know.

As for my two cases - both men are travelling along very nicely at last check - which was today.

Love and light to you all.

David Hartmann