Institute of Stress Medicine, Region Västra Götaland, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22B, SE-413 19, Gothenburg, Sweden.
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
BMC Psychol. 2020 Mar 19;8(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s40359-020-0395-8.
Many patients with stress-related exhaustion seem to struggle with long-term recovery. The primary aim of this study was to explore residual symptoms and perceived recovery in patients previously treated for stress-related exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care.
A total of 217 former patients (74% women) previously treated for exhaustion disorder were asked to participate in follow-ups 2, 3, 5, and 7 years post treatment. Symptoms of depression, and anxiety were measured with questionnaires. Remaining symptoms of extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, problems with concentration, problems with memory and reduced stress tolerance, were rated with single item questions. A subgroup of patients (n = 163) participated in a clinical assessment to confirm residual stress-related exhaustion not caused by other diseases.
Almost half of the patients previously treated for stress-related exhaustion perceive fatigue 7 years after initially seeking care, and as many as 73% reported decreased stress tolerance. The clinical assessment confirmed that a third of the patients were clinically judged as still suffering from stress-related exhaustion. Male and female patients showed similar patterns regarding residual symptoms.
One third of patients with exhaustion disorder are clinically judged to have exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reason for such a long-term recovery and ultimately to identify methods for prevention.
许多与压力相关的疲惫患者似乎难以长期康复。本研究的主要目的是探讨在寻求治疗 7 年后，曾患有与压力相关的疲惫的患者的残留症状和感知恢复情况。
共有 217 名曾患有疲惫障碍的前患者（74%为女性）被要求在治疗后 2、3、5 和 7 年参加随访。使用问卷测量抑郁和焦虑症状。使用单项问题评估极端疲劳、睡眠障碍、注意力问题、记忆力问题和压力耐受降低的残留症状。有一个亚组患者（n=163）参加了临床评估，以确认残留的与压力相关的疲惫不是由其他疾病引起的。
曾患有与压力相关的疲惫的患者中，近一半人在最初寻求治疗 7 年后仍感到疲劳，多达 73%的人报告压力耐受降低。临床评估确认，三分之一的患者被临床判断为仍患有与压力相关的疲惫。男性和女性患者在残留症状方面表现出相似的模式。
在寻求治疗 7 年后，三分之一患有疲惫障碍的患者被临床判断为患有疲惫。需要进一步研究以阐明如此长期恢复的原因，并最终确定预防方法。
