Keynote speaker

Ear acupuncture in addiction, anxiety, depression and sleeping problems

- Evidence, visions, and experiences from psychiatric care

Anxiety, depression, addiction, stress and sleeping problems are common and affect all dimensions of life. The effect of medication is modest with severe side effects. It is essential to find a safe and effective treatment that reduces suffering. Complementary methods, like ear acupuncture, are interesting options. I focus on evidence, clinical experiences, and implementation of ear acupuncture in psychiatric care. I will present results from two qualitative studies where interviews were conducted with patients receiving ear acupuncture as an adjunct to usual care in a highly specialised ward for Anorexia Nervosa. Another interview study with health care professionals who use ear-acupuncture in different psychiatric settings report how they perceive ear acupuncture as a valuable tool. Utilization rate of ear acupuncture in a psychiatric ward is reported, and a survey reports how many Swedish psychiatric wards that use ear acupuncture. Decision-makers have been interviewed about how they decide about implementation of ear acupuncture in psychiatric care. I argue that ear acupuncture is a safe, effective and cost-effective intervention, highly appreciated by patients. Therefore, I argue that it is reasonable to implement ear acupuncture in publicly funded care so that more people can benefit from it.

Curriculum Vitae

Kajsa is a registered nurse, specialized in psychiatry. After 25 years as an acupuncturist in a private clinic, she is now a senior lecturer and researcher at Lund University. Her doctoral thesis (2011) included articles on acupuncture in infants with colic. Recent projects include research on patients and health care professionals’ experiences of standardized ear acupuncture (NADA), and how complementary medicine like ear acupuncture is implemented in psychiatric care in Sweden. Kajsa teaches ear acupuncture.