Reducing depression and anxiety symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease: The effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy

Quality of life and depression in patients with Parkinson's disease: effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy: a randomized controlled study

Background

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating various psychological disorders. Nevertheless, there is insufficient evidence supporting its application in enhancing both the quality of life and depression among Parkinson's patients. Consequently, this study was undertaken to examine the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy in ameliorating depression symptoms and enhancing the quality of life in individuals afflicted with Parkinson's disease.

Materials and methods

A randomized clinical trial with pre-test and post-test measurements, including a control group, was conducted. The sample consisted of individuals referred to Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran with Parkinson's disease in 2023. Ninety participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group, with 45 participants in each. The experimental group received a three-month cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention consisting of 12 sessions of 90 min. Pre-test and post-test measures included the Beck Depression Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-25.

Results

The results revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of depression and quality of life. The cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention significantly reduced depression and significantly improved the quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease (P≤0.01).

Conclusion

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an effective approach for reducing depression and improving the quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease. Therefore, therapists and healthcare providers can utilize cognitive-behavioral therapy to enhance the well-being of individuals with Parkinson's disease.

A meta-analysis identifies factors predicting the future development of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating problem that is common among many, but not all, people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Numerous attempts have been made at treating FOG to reduce its negative impact on fall risk, functional independence, and health-related quality of life. However, optimal treatment remains elusive. Observational studies have recently investigated factors that differ among patients with PD who later develop FOG, compared to those who do not. With prediction and prevention in mind, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of publications through 31.12.2022 to identify risk factors. Studies were included if they used a cohort design, included patients with PD without FOG at baseline, data on possible FOG predictors were measured at baseline, and incident FOG was assessed at follow-up. 1068 original papers were identified, 38 met a-priori criteria, and 35 studies were included in the meta-analysis (n = 8973; mean follow-up: 4.1 ± 2.7 years). Factors significantly associated with a risk of incident FOG included: higher age at onset of PD, greater severity of motor symptoms, depression, anxiety, poorer cognitive status, and use of levodopa and COMT inhibitors. Most results were robust in four subgroup analyses. These findings indicate that changes associated with FOG incidence can be detected in a subset of patients with PD, sometimes as long as 12 years before FOG manifests, supporting the possibility of predicting FOG incidence. Intriguingly, some of these factors may be modifiable, suggesting that steps can be taken to lower the risk and possibly even prevent the future development of FOG.