Effects of acupuncture on earthquake survivors with major psychiatric disorders and related symptoms: A scoping review of clinical studies.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the current research status of acupuncture, including acupressure, for major psychiatric disorders (MPD) in earthquake survivors, focusing on safety, efficacy, and common practices.
Results Summary
The review found that acupuncture, including scalp electro-acupuncture and ear acupressure, was primarily used for PTSD in earthquake survivors, with generally mild and temporary adverse events. RCTs and before-after studies showed varied but promising results, though clinical studies in this field need further expansion.
Population
Earthquake survivors with major psychiatric disorders, predominantly PTSD.
Effective Dosage
Not specified (common acupoints included GB20, GV20, GV24, and EX-HN1).
Duration
4 to 12 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
acupuncture | neutral | major psychiatric disorder after an earthquake | earthquake survivors | - | focused on | #1 |
scalp electro-acupuncture | neutral | acupuncture type | - | 44.44% | was the most common | #2 |
manual acupuncture | neutral | acupuncture type | - | 33.33% | was used | #3 |
ear acupressure/ear acupuncture | neutral | acupuncture type | - | 33.33% | was used | #4 |
scalp electro-acupuncture | neutral | acupoints | - | - | used common acupoints | #5 |
acupuncture | neutral | treatment period | - | between 4 and 12 weeks | treatment period lasted | #6 |
acupuncture | neutral | adverse events | - | - | adverse events were generally mild and temporary | #7 |
acupuncture | neutral | syncope | - | 1/48 patients and 1/864 sessions over a treatment period of 4 weeks | syncope was a rare but potentially serious adverse event | #8 |
acupuncture | neutral | posttraumatic stress disorder | earthquake survivors | - | studies for MPD after an earthquake mainly focused on | #9 |
scalp electro-acupuncture | neutral | acupuncture type | - | - | was the most common acupuncture type | #10 |
EX-HN1 and GV24 | neutral | acupoints in the acupuncture procedures for MPD | - | - | were the most important acupoints | #11 |
BACKGROUND: This scoping review aimed to determine the current research status of acupuncture for major psychiatric disorder (MPD) in earthquake survivors. METHOD: We followed the scoping review process described previously. A literature search on 14 electronic databases was conducted from inception to November 29, 2022. Data from the included studies were collected and descriptively analyzed to address our research question. Extracted data were collated, synthesized, and summarized the according to the analytical framework of a scoping review. RESULT: This scoping review included nine clinical studies: four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and five before-after studies. The most frequent MPD type among the included acupuncture studies was posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 6/9, 66.67%). The most frequent acupuncture type was scalp electro-acupuncture (4/9, 44.44%), followed by manual acupuncture and ear acupressure/ear acupuncture (3/9, 33.33%). Studies using scalp electro-acupuncture all used common acupoints, including GB20, GV20, GV24, and EX-HN1. In general, the treatment period lasted between 4 and 12 weeks. Validated assessment tools for PTSD severity and accompanying symptoms were used for patients with PTSD, while the corresponding evaluation tools were used for patients with other diagnoses or clinical symptoms. Acupuncture-related adverse events were generally mild and temporary, such as mild bleeding and hematoma, and syncope was a rare but potentially serious adverse event (1/48 patients and 1/864 sessions over a treatment period of 4 weeks). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture studies for MPD after an earthquake mainly focused on PTSD. RCTs accounted for around half of the included studies. Scalp electro-acupuncture was the most common acupuncture type, and EX-HN1 and GV24 were the most important acupoints in the acupuncture procedures for MPD. The included studies mostly used validated symptom assessment tools, though some did not. Clinical studies in this field need to be further expanded regardless of the study type. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: https://osf.io/wfru7/.