DING Ruiqing.Acupuncture Dependence:Clinical Characteristics,Formation Mechanisms,and Prevention and Treatment Strategies[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(12):1272-1276.
DING Ruiqing.Acupuncture Dependence:Clinical Characteristics,Formation Mechanisms,and Prevention and Treatment Strategies[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(12):1272-1276.DOI: 10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.12.006.
Following repeated acupuncture treatments, some patients may develop a psychological dependence on the treatment behavior itself, referred to as "acupuncture dependence", resulting from overactivation of the endogenous reward system and reinforcement of conditioned reflexes. This paper elucidates the clinical characteristics, neurobiological mechanisms, and psychological learning principles of this phenomenon, and differentiates it from somatic symptom disorder. The essence of acupuncture dependence is "treatment reward-driven overuse". Patients with personality disorders or somatization tendencies face a significantly higher risk of dependence due to deficits in emotion regulation. Clinical management should focus on three aspects including prevention, identification and intervention. Adopting tapering therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy can help patients restore rational medical-seeking behavior and avoid over-treatment.
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