- New survey reveals insight into nation’s struggles with mental health to mark Acupuncture Awareness Week (10-16th November)
New research1 suggests that there has been a significant rise in people seeking treatment with acupuncture for mental health issues, with over two thirds (68%) of acupuncturists asked admitting that the prevalence of patients seeking support for mental health concerns had increased over the past year. Furthermore, a staggering 93% said they had supported a patient for mental health issues in the past 6 months. The biggest uplift (82%) was seen in women aged over 40, followed by young adults (67%) and men aged over 40 (50%).
The most prominent condition amongst these patients was generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), followed by depression. Over half of those acupuncturists asked (55%), said they had seen clients presenting with social anxiety, a third (30.6%) reported that clients were experiencing addiction issues and 49% said they had seen clients with ADHD or attention deficit disorders. Encouragingly, 99.5% of the acupuncturists reported that patients had generally experienced positive results.
The survey was conducted by the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC), the largest professional body for traditional acupuncturists, as part of a campaign to coincide with Acupuncture Awareness Week AAW (10-16th November) to raise awareness of the benefits of this ancient medicine as “the original whole system of health”.
Despite the rise in demand for acupuncture, only 15% of professional acupuncturists surveyed said that their patients had been recommended the treatment by their GP. As part of Acupuncture Awareness Week, the British Acupuncture Council is working to improve education for healthcare professionals about acupuncture as a holistic medicine for mental as well as physical health. A new digital resource has been developed called Collaborate with Confidence: Why Refer to a British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) Acupuncturist? and is now available online for regulated healthcare professionals.
The survey also probed acupuncturists’ opinions on healthcare professional referrals. Overall, there’s a concern that both the public and health care professionals are not aware that acupuncturists are trained to help people with mental as well as physical health issues: 95% and 96% respectively. Asked why they thought some GPs and NHS consultants are not widely recommending acupuncture, the highest-ranking reason is a perceived lack of understanding of the benefits of this complementary therapy (58%). Additional factors given included GPs not realising that acupuncture could be available to patients on the NHS and the fact they felt GPs are sceptical of acupuncture’s evidence base.
CEO of the British Acupuncture Council Alex Jacobs MBAcC MRCHM comments, “While these latest statistics show a concerning increase in people experiencing a wide range of mental health issues from anxiety to addiction, it makes us even more resolute about highlighting the impact that acupuncture can have on physical and mental health. By shining a light on the modern-day demand for this traditional medical therapy, we hope that acupuncturists will be recognised alongside regulated health professionals such as physiotherapists.
“With the growing acceptance of and robust evidence base for acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of conditions, we want health care professionals like GPs to feel confident and comfortable in recommending it to patients. However, our survey shows there is still a reticence amongst some healthcare professionals to do this. This new guide provides the definitive evidence and professional reassurance GPs need to confidently refer to patients. This is about driving up standards in care for patients, with a call to GPs to broaden their understanding of acupuncture and recognise that as the British Acupuncture Council is an Accredited Register with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), GPs are permitted to refer patients to BAcC members.”
| NHS CASE STUDY: INNER GLOUCESTER HAILED A ‘TRAILBLAZER’ FOR A PIONEERING AND HOLISTIC NHS PROJECT WHICH IS HELPING LOCAL PATIENTS SUFFERING WITH ANXIETY
While acupuncture has the highest quality supporting evidence of any complementary therapy and is recommended by NICE as a treatment for primary chronic pain and headaches, it isn’t commonly available on the NHS. However, some GP practices offer integrated healthcare that includes acupuncture. In fact, in 2022, the British Acupuncture Council was approached by a Primary Care Network (PCN) in Inner Gloucester to partner on a groundbreaking acupuncture service, delivered in an area of high deprivation.
This innovative and inclusive initiative aims to make acupuncture more accessible to NHS patients and more cost efficient via a GP referral network. Traditional acupuncture and ear acupuncture is provided by BAcC members as part of an Enhanced Access programme which delivers two 6 x week programmes for eligible patients outside of standard working hours (sessions take place in the evenings (6-8pm) and Saturdays). The acupuncturists work as part of an interdisciplinary team alongside: GP, nurses, counsellors, and social prescribers, who are able to all refer patients to the project.
Results of the project are being released this November which demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture in helping people to manage anxiety, making a positive impact on their mental health and overall quality of life. Average GAD-7 scores (the NHS Generalised Anxiety Disorder metric) significantly improve for patients in the programme – with an average GAD score of 15.53 at course entry (indicating severe anxiety) reducing to 8.09 (indicating mild anxiety) on completion of the course. Anecdotally, some people have reported how they’ve been able to return to work having previously being unable to leave the house or are now less or no longer reliant on medication or harmful substances.
Acupuncturist Fleur Clackson MBAcC, co-developer and co-deliverer of the Inner Gloucester scheme comments, “This is an incredibly exciting and encouraging project to be involved with, demonstrating the possibilities for acupuncture to be integrated into the wider NHS. The results from this project so far have been overwhelmingly positive, showing a significant improvement in anxiety levels and general wellbeing, empowering people to sleep better, work better, feel better and generally live better. And, due to the inclusivity of this project, these are people who we know would not otherwise have the means to access acupuncture.
“The feedback from patients themselves and local GPs is also so encouraging with one saying telling us, ‘what you’re doing is making the lives of us and the patients we treat a little bit easier’
Fleur concludes: “This project is a true representation of harmonious integration with the NHS.”
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The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has nearly 3,000 members who belong to an accredited register, regulated and approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health & Social Care (PSA). The PSA protects the public by overseeing the regulation and registration of healthcare professionals – including statutorily regulated professions, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and Accredited Registers like the BAcC. This offers a quality mark for high standards of training, safe practice and professional conduct.
Referral to a British Acupuncture Council member ensures patients receive care that is evidence-based, professionally audited, independently regulated, and backed by a comprehensive complaints process.
Find a trusted practitioner here: Find an acupuncturist – BAcC.
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Acupuncture Awareness Week (AAW) takes place from 10th – 16th of November 2025 and culminates on World Acupuncture Day (16th November).
References
- As part of Acupuncture Awareness Week, a survey was carried out amongst the membership body of BAcC with a sample size of 245 responses
- The Inner Gloucester project provides two 6-week programmes with 16 patients invited across two weekly groups:
- The auricular acupuncture clinic: a group setting for ear acupuncture to support people with depression and anxiety which allows for conversation and mutual support
- Full body acupuncture clinic: one-to-one sessions to support chronic pain
