Open AccessEfficacy of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy in the treatment of chronic fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis – a literature review
Author(s) -
Justyna Wiśniowska,
Kamilla Puławska
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aktualności neurologiczne
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2451-0696
pISSN - 1641-9227
DOI - 10.15557/an.2021.0005
Subject(s) - cognition , multiple sclerosis , medicine , anxiety , clinical psychology , cognitive behavioral therapy , psychotherapist , depression (economics) , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychology , psychiatry , economics , macroeconomics
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms seen in patients with multiple sclerosis. Cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy can be a non-pharmacological approach for these patients. Van Kessel and Moss-Morris developed a cognitive-behavioural model to explain multiple sclerosis-related fatigue (2006). According to this model, inflammatory and demyelinating factors present in the central nervous system trigger fatigue, while cognitive interpretation, anxiety, or depressive symptoms and resting lifestyle are maintaining factors. Based on the cognitive-behavioural model of fatigue in multiple sclerosis, a protocol encompassing 8 treatment sessions was developed. For over 10 years, studies have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy in the treatment of fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. The so far obtained results show that cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy has a moderate short-term effect on reducing fatigue, while the effect size in the long-term is small. The obtained results were undoubtedly influenced by several factors: the heterogeneity of the procedures used, the size of the research groups, and the large number of disease-related intermediary variables. Further research should be conducted to identify specific factors responsible for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy in the treatment of fatigue and to assess the long-term effects of therapy.