Psychological interventions for decreasing anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS): A systematic review

Abstract

Objective. Multiple sclerosis (MS) has unpleasant psychological consequences including anxiety and besides it has been accompanied with physical harms. According to this, the current study was conducted with the purpose of reviewing psychological interventions for decreasing anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Materials and methods. This study was conducted by using a systematic review in researches published from January 2012 to November 2022. Indexing databases as PubMed and Scopus, Google Scholar were examined. For searching articles, the words as multiple sclerosis, psychological interventions, psychotherapy, anxiety, psychology, clinical trials and randomized clinical trial were examined. Eventually, 16 articles were analyzed. Results. The results demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have considered as the most practical therapeutic methods in treating anxiety in patients affected by MS. Moreover, the results showed that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy, Logotherapy and internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) and self-management have had an influential role in decreasing the anxiety of these patients. Conclusion. According to this, it can be concluded that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have been placed in the first line of treatment for the treating anxiety in patients affected by MS. Therefore, it is suggested to implement these interventions owning to improve the psychological health of these patients.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• anxiety
• psychological interventions