Introduction of Auricular Acupuncture in Elderly Patients Suffering from Major Depression: Protocol of a Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Abstract

Background. Due to an increasing number of elderly people suffering from major depression and potential side effects of the prescribed drugs, the introduction of new therapeutic approaches is needed. Currently, in Germany, auricular acupuncture is no part of clinical care for gerontopsychiatric patients. Based on promising clinical experiences and existing evidence for treating addiction and trauma, a benefit of auricular acupuncture integrated in existing treatment programs in elderly patients may be hypothesized. Within this project auricular acupuncture according to the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) will be integrated in the multimodal treatment regime for elderly patients with major depression in a daytime ward setting. Methods/Design. To evaluate the feasibility and acceptance a mixed method approach is used. In a day clinic, a sample of 20 psychogeriatric patients with the diagnosis of major depression will be enrolled. The patients will receive a total of nine auricular acupuncture treatments according to the standardized NADA protocol in a group setting. The therapeutic process, its organization, the experience, and the willingness of patients to participate will be evaluated by interviews with patients and the therapeutic team. Data will be analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. Additionally, quantitative outcome parameters will be measured by standardized questionnaires.

Effects of Communication Skills Training on Aggression and Quality of Life of Male Patients with Chronic Mental Illnesses

“…Nonpharmacologic methods to control pain are simpler and less expensive (Allred et al 2010). A variety of nonpharmacologic interventions such as percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (Johnson et al 2015), acupuncture (Geib et al 2015), acupressure (Chen et al 2015), hypnosis therapy (Cordia et al 2015), behavior therapy (Karlin et al 2015), and massage therapy (Dreyer et al 2015) have been emphasized. The results of a systematic review showed that acupressure was an effective and noninvasive method for relieving various types of pain and could be used as a training program in nursing curriculum (Chen & Wang 2014).…”

Adverse event associated with auriculotherapy

“…Auriculotherapy is widely performed for pain relief and weight loss in general acupuncture clinics using a needle, tack, seed, and pellet . In recent years, auriculotherapy has also been used for insomnia and depression . Many cases have been reported of adverse events associated with general acupuncture and moxibustion , but to our knowledge only two cases have been reported of adverse events associated with auriculotherapy and the corresponding use of acupressure pellets .…”

Getting Well Is More Than Gaining Weight – Patients’ Experiences of a Treatment Program for Anorexia Nervosa Including Ear Acupuncture

“…NADA is nowadays used as an adjunct also in psychiatric care (Stuyt & Voyles, 2016). NADA has shown effect in community mental health settings (LaPaglia, Bryant, & Serafini, 2016) and was highly utilized by psychogeriatric patients with major depression (Geib, Rieger, Joos, Eschweiler, & Metzger, 2017). Qualitative studies on psychiatric patients' experience of NADA are sparse but mediate patients' positive experiences of calm, well-being, increased energy, improved sleep and better concentration (Geib et al, 2017).…”

“…NADA has shown effect in community mental health settings (LaPaglia, Bryant, & Serafini, 2016) and was highly utilized by psychogeriatric patients with major depression (Geib, Rieger, Joos, Eschweiler, & Metzger, 2017). Qualitative studies on psychiatric patients' experience of NADA are sparse but mediate patients' positive experiences of calm, well-being, increased energy, improved sleep and better concentration (Geib et al, 2017). Patients also described reduced craving and irritability, and reduced need of medication on demand (Bergdahl, Berman, & Haglund, 2014).…”