This blog is to share the latest research and development of acupuncture and raise the awareness of alternative treatments for your conditions, and is for information only.

Friday, 3 February 2017

Acupuncture improved conditions of a patient with chronic schizophrenia and sleep disorders – a case report

This report described the use of acupuncture treatment for a patient with chronic schizophrenia and sleep disorder. It was published in journal of Case Reports in Psychiatry.

The 63-year-old woman suffered from long-term schizophrenia (length of illness: 16 years) and (subjective) sleep disorders. The patient received 12 weekly acupuncture treatments. A clinical diagnostic interview and psychological tests such as the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and many more were conducted before, immediately after and 3 months after the acupuncture treatment.

The patient experienced improved daily functioning and markedly improved cognitive functioning (working memory). In addition, the results showed that the overall score of the positive and negative symptoms did not change immediately; however, a decrease in symptoms occurred 3 months after acupuncture treatment. Moreover, the patient described an immediate improvement in sleep; this was confirmed by a daytime sleepiness questionnaire. The patient was not able to complete a (longer) test on sleep quality beforehand but did so after the treatment period. Finally, a delayed improvement in the depression scale was found.


This case study indicated that acupuncture may be beneficial treatment tool in patients with schizophrenia and sleep disorder.

Reference
Bosch P, et al., Acupuncture in the Treatment of a Female Patient Suffering from Chronic Schizophrenia and Sleep Disorders. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2016;2016:6745618.     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28101392

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