Cognitive Therapy with Patients with Chronic Physical Illness

Abstract

Selected cognitive concepts are reviewed which are relevant to the management of emotional disturbance in chronic physical illness. The concepts chosen do not comprise a comprehensive list, but are among those commonly encountered in clinical practice. These are illustrated by brief clinical case descriptions and also discussed in terms of relevant research findings. Particular assets of cognitive therapy are discussed in relation to chronic physical illness.

Psychosocial predictors of long-term success of in-patient pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with COPD

“…Where psychological factors contribute to an unfavourable outcome, they are amenable to change, for example using cognitive-behavioural therapy [35,36]. Such therapy has been shown to improve exercise tolerance and subjective well-being among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and is also likely to improve patients' adherence to their rehabilitation programme [33].…”

Risk factors for hypochondriacal concerns in a sample of military veterans

“…Most studies have shown a relationship between physical illness and hypochondriasis [55][56][57], and, in a recent general population survey, half of those with illness worry had the illness they worried about [10]. Illness represents a threat to which some individuals react with dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes, including hypochondriasis [58,59]. Barsky et al [17] showed that patients who developed hypochondriasis in response to medical illness-at least transiently-had more severe medical illness.…”

Psychiatry in the renal unit

“…Although there is no literature specifically related to cognitive therapy in end-stage renal disease, research has been carried out in other areas of physical illness with good results. Sensky (1989) reported that therapy involved the patient and therapist understanding the patient's perception of the problems. This leads into an assessment of the patient's attributions to his or her illness, which may be idiosyncratic, and from there the therapist can introduce a cognitive-biological model as a treatment strategy (Wright et al, 1993).…”