MS research update - 25 December 2009
- Group therapy can help improve low mood
- Effects of MS manifest in personal activities and handwriting performance
Group therapy can help improve low mood
Previous research has shown that mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are more common in people with long-term conditions such as MS. The present UK-based study investigated whether attending an 'adjustment group' could prove beneficial to people with MS suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study recruited 40 people to receive six 2-hour group treatment sessions. Participants were assessed for depression and anxiety before and after the treatment programme and their symptom ratings were compared against people with the same condition and symptoms who were on a waiting list for the treatment. Following the six treatment sessions, people reported fewer depressive symptoms. The authors conclude that group therapy may be an effective psychological treatment for depression in people with MS and warrants further investigation.
Forman AC, Lincoln NB.
Evaluation of an adjustment group for people with multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Clinical Rehabilitation 2009; [Epub ahead of print].
Medline abstract
Effects of MS manifest in personal activities and handwriting performance
Many studies are aimed at measuring how a long-term condition such as MS effects mental, physical and social functioning as measured in a clinical setting. There has been less focus given to the effect that MS has on personal activities of daily living such as walking, descending stairs, eating, dressing, toileting, bathing, and grooming - all of which are essential activities.
The present study compared a group of people with MS against a group of healthy comparators. The aim was to increase awareness of how fatigue and functional impairments manifest in personal activities of daily life and in the handwriting performance of people with MS. The study findings demonstrate that fatigue has a significant affect on the performance of personal activities of daily life and handwriting in people with MS. The study authors suggest that there should be greater consideration of such performances in measuring the function of people with MS and in developing rehabilitation techniques and strategies tailored to the individual.
Rosenblum S, Tamar-Weiss PL.
Evaluating functional decline in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Research in Developmental Disabilities 2010; [Epub ahead of print].
Medline abstract