The Tapping Evidence Base
Depression

Effectiveness of add-on Emotional Freedom Technique on reduction of depression: A quasi-experimental study

Krishnamurthy, D., Sharma, A. K. · Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research · 2021

Controlled trial👥 100 participants⚖️ vs. treatment as usual (TAU) group receiving only conventional treatmentPreliminary✓ Source-checked📍 India
In plain English. One hundred psychiatric inpatients in India were split into a group getting three days of add-on EFT plus standard treatment, versus standard treatment alone. The EFT group's depression scores dropped more than the standard-treatment-only group's over just three days. This is a quasi-experimental (not randomized) design over a very short treatment window.

What they found

100
people took part

Mean depression score in the EFT group fell from 30.96 to 24 by day three, versus a smaller decrease from 30.82 to 27.20 in the TAU group.

How the study worked

Who took partpatients admitted for observation and treatment at a Hospital for Mental Health, Vadodara, Gujarat, India (n=100)
What they didIn a controlled trial, a tapping group was compared against a separate comparison group.
Compared withtreatment as usual (TAU) group receiving only conventional treatment
Measured withBeck Depression Inventory

💡 Where this could help

If findings like these hold up in larger trials, the promise is simple: a low-cost, self-administered tool that could reach people struggling with depression who can't easily access traditional care — at home, between appointments, or where there aren't enough clinicians to go around.

🔬 What to study next

The natural next step: longer-term follow-up to see how durable the benefit is, and an active ('sham tapping') control to isolate what's doing the work.

The full record

DesignControlled trial
Participants100 people
Populationpatients admitted for observation and treatment at a Hospital for Mental Health, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Comparison grouptreatment as usual (TAU) group receiving only conventional treatment
Outcome measuresBeck Depression Inventory
JournalJournal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research
Year2021
CountryIndia
LanguageEnglish
MethodEFT / tapping
Publication typeStudy / trial
Verification✓ Confirmed against the primary source

Read the original study →

Cite this study

APA

Krishnamurthy, D., & Sharma, A. K. (2021). Effectiveness of add-on Emotional Freedom Technique on reduction of depression: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2021/49076.15276

This record is part of the Tapping Evidence Base — an openly-sourced, fully-referenced directory of the research on EFT/tapping. Explore more studies on Depression

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THE TAPPING EVIDENCE BASE Depression 100 participants WHAT THEY FOUND Mean depression score in the EFT group fellfrom 30.96 to 24 by day three, versus asmaller decrease from 30.82 to… Controlled trial · 100 participants Krishnamurthy · 2021 · evidence.thetappingsolution.com