OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Tiaoshen Kaiyu acupuncture (regulating vitality and dredging stasis) combined with psychological intervention for treating mild depression after stroke. METHODS: Ninety-four patients were enrolled and were randomly divided into acupuncture (48 cases) and control (46 cases) groups. Patients in the control group were given standard treatment plus psychological intervention, while patients in the acupuncture group were treated with Tiaoshen Kaiyu acupuncture plus standard treatment and psychological intervention. Acupoints of Sishencong(EX-HN 1), Baihui(GV 20), and Yintang(EX-HN 3) were selected in the acupuncture group. Each group received treatment once daily, five times weekly, for a total of 6 weeks. A self-rating depression scale (SDS), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), simplified Fugl-Meyer motor function assessment (FMA), and modified Barthel index (MBI) were used before and after treatment to evaluate the efficacy. RESULTS: After the treatment the four indexes were improved significantly compared with those before treatment in the acupuncture and control groups (<0.01). The FMA and MBI scores in the acupuncture group were higher than those in the control group (<0.05). The HAMD and SDS scores were significantly lower in the acupuncture group than in the control group (<0.01). In both the acupuncture and control groups, the differences before and after treatment of the HAMD and FMA scores (＝0.332, <0.01) and the HAMD and MBI scores (＝0.356, <0.01) were positively correlated. CONCLUSION: Tiaoshen Kaiyu acupuncture combined with psychological intervention is more effective than psychological intervention therapy alone. The efficacy is correlated with motor function and mild depression scores of patients after stroke.