Group therapy may help fibromyalgia patients

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Group therapy may help fibromyalgia patients

By Charnicia E. Huggins

NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters Health) - Group psychotherapy may decrease

depression and fatigue among individuals with fibromyalgia, new study

findings suggest.

And some patients may even feel less pain after the therapy, according

to researchers.

Fibromyalgia, a chronic condition estimated to affect 2% of Americans,

is marked by pain in the muscles and around the joints and is often

accompanied by depression and fatigue. The cause is unknown, but

researchers have found pain-processing abnormalities in the spines and

brain stems of some people with the condition.

" Persons with fibromyalgia...should ask their healthcare provider for

psychological services available to them to possibly assist in improving

physical symptoms as well as psychological distress, " lead researcher

Dr. Frances J. , of St. 's Regional Health Center in

Springfield, Missouri, told Reuters Health.

and her colleagues investigated the effect of group

psychotherapy in a study of 59 people with fibromyalgia. All

participated in a one-year outpatient fibromyalgia treatment program and

an 8-week course on coping skills. In addition, 35 elected to

participate in a 90-minute psychotherapy session each week for 14 weeks.

The remaining patients were used as a comparison group.

At the end of the 14 weeks, the psychotherapy group reported less

depression, fatigue and morning tiredness than they had at the start of

the study, according to the investigators. Further, in comparison to

their initial reports, they had a more positive attitude about their

condition and also perceived themselves more positively. They also had

an improved outlook on their interactions with others and felt they had

a greater " support system, " the study findings show.

What's more, some individuals also reported feeling less pain after the

psychotherapy, the researchers note.

The " simplistic " explanation for this finding is that " the more isolated

you are and the more you focus on your pain, the more pain you're going

to experience, " said. " With social support, people feel more

connected, (have) more meaning in life, feel less depressed (and),

therefore, experience less pain. "

In light of the findings, " people with fibromyalgia, particularly when

experiencing depression, might benefit from participation in group

psychotherapy, in combination with other aspects of a fibromyalgia

treatment program, including coping skills classes, " said.

's results are not surprising, according to Dr. Sephton

of the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky, who was

not involved in the study.

It " makes sense " that psychotherapy would have effects such as

decreasing depression since it is " specifically targeted to depression, "

she told Reuters Health.

On the other hand, Sephton pointed out, the study had a " strong bias "

because the study group chose to receive the psychotherapy instead of

being randomly assigned to receive it.

" People who want to do it are much more likely to benefit from it, " she

said.

The findings were presented recently in San Francisco at the annual

meeting of the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals.