Italian researchers have been studying the usefulness of acupuncture for psychological symptoms following the central Italian earthquake of 2016. A clinic was set up to treat both musculoskeletal and psychological symptoms, the latter including insomnia, anxiety and depression. Each of 41 patients received four acupuncture treatments on consecutive days.
After three sessions, 54% of patients reported marked improvements in psychological symptoms, and 61% reported a decrease in pain.
(An Observational Study on Acupuncture for Earthquake-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Experience of the Lombard Association of Medical Acupuncturists/ Acupuncture in the World, in Amatrice, Central Italy. Medical Acupuncture, 15 April 2019.)