Integrating psychological interventions into holistic management of chronic respiratory diseases

Abstract

Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD), such as asthma, interstitial lung disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), have a significant negative influence on a patient's physical and mental health. Stress, anxiety, and depression are common psychological injuries that worsen lung function, and increase mortality, exacerbations, and healthcare utilization in patients with chronic respiratory disease (CRD). Pulmonary rehabilitation is a gold standard non-pharmacological management for CRD—where care delivery strategies are based on a bio-psycho-social model of integrated therapies. However, there are still issues since there are global differences in the way programs are designed and implemented, and there are no standardized psychological assessments or therapies available for patients with CRD. This review critically examines the challenges in standardizing pulmonary rehabilitation programs and the lack of health psychological assessment or interventions for patients with CRD. Additionally, it suggests necessary updates to respiratory physiotherapy curricula with the neuroscience of breathing in clarifying the relationship between psychological factors and inflammation in CRD. The review calls for an urgent need for increased global research funding to enhance psychological therapies as integrated respiratory care management and improve outcomes for patients with CRD.