A Guide To What Works For Anxiety Disorders - Mental Health First Aid

Complementaryand LifestyleInterventionsAcupunctureOur ratingOur ratingGAD Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia?PTSD and ASD? Specific Phobias ?Social Phobia? OCD ?WHAT IS IT?Acupuncture is a technique of inserting fine needles into specific pointson the body. The needles are usually rotated by hand. They can alsohave an electric current applied to them. A laser beam can be usedinstead of needles. Acupuncturists’ contact details can be found in theYellow Pages. Professional associations also keep a list of accreditedmembers. These include the Australian Acupuncture Chinese MedicineAssociation, the Chinese Medicine Registration Board, the AustralianNatural Therapists Association, and the Australian Traditional MedicineSociety. Acupuncture is not covered by Medicare, but may be availableas an extra with private health insurance.HOW IS IT MEANT TO WORK?This is not clear. Traditional Chinese medicine says it works bycorrecting the flow of energy in the body. According to Westernmedicine, it may stimulate nerves. This results in the release ofneurotransmitters (chemical messengers) in the brain.DOES IT WORK?GADFive studies have evaluated acupuncture for GAD in adults. Thesecompared acupuncture with sham (fake) acupuncture, BehaviourTherapy (BT), or different drugs. Generally, positive results foracupuncture were found. However, the studies were not high inscientific quality.PTSD and ASDOne study has been carried out in 84 adults with PTSD. One groupreceived a one-hour session of acupuncture twice a week. Anothergroup received a two-hour session of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(CBT) once a week. A comparison group received no treatment. Thestudy lasted for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, symptoms hadimproved in the acupuncture and CBT groups, but not in the controlgroup. These improvements were maintained three months later.38