Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME Alice E. Green Highly Specialist...

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME

Alice E. GreenHighly Specialist Counselling Psychologist

Oldchurch Hospital CFS Team

Alice Green, Oldchurch Hosiptal, Essex Centre for Neurosciences

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Overview What is CFS/ME? CBT Overview Psychological Models of CFS/ME Psychological Factors in CFS/ME Evidence-based Practice Using CBT in Treatment of CFS/ME Conclusions


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Diagnosis of CFS/ME Ongoing disabling fatigue > 6m Defined onset of symptoms Impairment of short-term memory

concentration Sore throat/Tender cervical or axillary

lymph nodes Muscle pain/ Multijoint pain/Headaches Unrefreshing sleep Post-exertion malaise lasting more than

24 hours


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Exclusion Criteria Any active medical condition that could

explain the chronic fatigue Past / current major depressive

disorder with psychotic or melancholic features; bipolar affective disorders, schizophrenia; delusional disorders, dementias, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa

Alcohol or other substance abuse within 2 years prior to the onset


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CBT Models of CFS/ME

Illness beliefs and coping strategies are key factors in the onset & perpetuation of CFS/ME

Cognitions, Behaviours, Emotional reactions and Physiological factors interact to maintain CFS/ME symptoms


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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy


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Process of CBT Therapy Therapeutic Alliance & Trust Awareness of Domains of experience Underlying Core Beliefs (Schemas) Understanding Links between Domains Instilling the Possibility of Change Challenging Beliefs & Experimentation Reviewing Changes made in therapy


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Wessely, Butler, Chalder & David (1991)

Organic Insult e.g. virus

Physical Symptoms

Rest to relieve symptoms

Physical Deconditioning

Increased Pain / Fatigue


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Cycle of Avoidance

Pain symptoms are misinterpreted by patient as due to a physical disease / illness. Rest is used to cope and perpetuates the CFS/ME

Cycle of Symptoms, Avoidance and Deconditioning

Demoralisation; Depression; Anxiety etc

Exacerbates CFS/ME symptoms


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Additional Factors Precipitants: Virus / Excessive stress Predisposition: Personality traits / Biology Perpetuators: “Boom & Bust”,

personality traits, beliefs

CFS/ME patients tend to be high-achievers, basing their self-esteem on high standards and expectations of others(Suraway, Hackmann, Hawton & Sharpe, 1995)


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Interpretation of Symptoms:Attributional Styles

Somatic attributions e.g. virus

Psychological attribution e.g. stress

Normalising attribution e.g. Symptoms due to change in lifestyle, behaviour, environment etc.


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Somatic Attributions and CFS/ME

-CFS/ME patients tend to attribute symptoms using a somatic attributional style. Butler, Chalder & Wessely (2001)

-Patients who somatise will be less active in the face of pain and fatigue symptoms, maintaining the illness, leading to CFS/ME (Vercoulen et al., 1998)

- People are of greater risk of developing CFS/ME post-virally if they use a somatic attributional style (Cope et al., 1994)


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How are Symptoms Experienced?

CFS/ME patients are more Hypervigilant to symptoms

(Vercoulen et al., 1998)

CFS/ME patients subjectively experience more sleep disturbance than non-CFS/ME controls, even when there is no objective difference in the sleep recordings (Twin study – Watson et al, 2003).

CFS/ME patients underestimate their activity levels and overestimate their symptoms (Fry & Martin, 1996)


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Possible Underlying Reasons….

Could be due to patients’ very high expectations of themselves?

CFS/ME patients set themselves very high standards to uphold, therefore, may underestimate own activity and overestimate symptom levels

Attribution of CFS/ME to external factors may help protect patients from feelings of depression and sense of failure?


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Illness Beliefs in CFS/ME

Studies using the Illness Perception Questionnaire (Weinmann, Petrie, Moss-Morris & Horne, 1996)

-patients attribute symptom control to biological factors and not so much to their own behaviour (compared to other long-term conditions e.g. R.A., chronic back pain)

-Symptoms will have a profound impact upon their life, will last a long time and will be wide-ranging in nature


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Illness Beliefs cont….

Spence & Moss-Morris (in press) – Prospective study

Patients with glandular fever who have:

1. Lack of understanding of their illness

2. Highly distressed due to illness

3. Low perceived control over their illness

are more likely to go on to develop CFS/ME


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Cognition leads to Coping styles

Sense of Internal Control vs External Control of symptoms

Cope more positively

Will seek out social support

Maladaptive coping

Disengagement

Avoidance

Vent emotions

Moss-Morris et al (1996)


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Coping styles…

•Reduction in Activity

Fear that activity will make their condition worse (Ray et al., 1995)

•Catastrophising thinking styles

- these increase CFS/ME symptoms (Petrie et al, 1995)

•++Negative beliefs lead to withdrawal, giving up, helplessness

•(Less) negative beliefs lead to “boom and bust” – such action is determined by subjective symptom experience


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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Strategies

Cognitive Restructuring exercises

-These can be used to reduce patients’ fear of activity

-Can reduce symptoms of CFS/ME compared to control group (Deale, Chalder & Wessely, 1998)

Increasing Patients’ Awareness:

*Interplay between person’s beliefs about their illness, their feelings, their body’s expression of symptoms and their own behaviour upon these domains*


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CBT interventions cont/…

Thought diaries awareness of thinking Increase awareness of belief systems Re-labelling and Reinterpreting symptoms Reducing symptom-focusing behaviours Normalising rather than Catastrophising Experiments e.g. Graded activity and effect

upon attributional style


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Cont…. Eradicate “boom and bust” mode Challenging Perfectionist beliefs Anxiety management skills Increasing Internal Locus of Control Re-education re CFS precipitators and

perpetuators and treatment programme


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However…

Interpersonal Relationships – Systemic issues Adjustment difficulties – Impact upon life Identity issues Personality Disorders / Other co-morbidities Coping with Losses due to CFS

(e.g. job / education / friendships)

CBT does not address some other important issues…


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Conclusions

In order to help patients work towards recovery in CFS/ME there needs to be a shared understanding between client and practitioner of the underlying psychological factors maintaining CFS/ME

Alongside other therapies, CBT can be used to increase awareness of patients’ CFS/ME and to help them make the necessary changes to reduce some of their symptoms.

Any Questions?….

Thank You!

Alice E. Green, Highly Specialist Counselling Psychologist

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Team,

Essex Centre for Neurosciences, Oldchurch Hospital, Waterloo Road, Romford, Essex RM7 0BE

[email protected]

01708 708 052

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME Alice E. Green Highly Specialist...

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