Wallis Olga C, de Vries Jolanda
Department of Medical Psychology, ETZ Hospital, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Mult Scler J Exp Transl Clin. 2020 Dec 28;6(4):2055217320974388. doi: 10.1177/2055217320974388. eCollection 2020 Oct-Dec.
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience high levels of anxiety, specifically about the (unpredictable) future related to MS. Worries about physical and cognitive declines can cause frightening mental representations of future 'worst-case scenarios'. Evidence of the applicability of eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) using flash-forward on anxiety is growing.
This pilot study examines the flash-forward EMDR procedure as a treatment option in MS patients suffering from anxiety specifically related to future MS problems.
Eight MSpatients suffering from anxiety were treated with one to three sessions of EMDR with a flash-forward target. Treatment effects were evaluated with the use of questionnaires on anxiety, depression, worry, cognitive avoidance, and quality of life at three time points: pre-treatment, direct post-treatment, and three-month follow-up.
Significant improvement was shown post-treatment compared to pre-treatment on anxiety, depression, and worry. In a case series analysis, all but one participant showed a clinically important difference in anxiety.
Before implementation on a larger scale can be recommended, the value of EMDR with flash forward targets for anxiety in MS need to be further examined. However, the positive results on this pilot can be seen as promising and motivation for future studies.
多发性硬化症（MS）患者常常经历高度焦虑，尤其是关于与MS相关的（不可预测的）未来。对身体和认知衰退的担忧可能会引发对未来“最坏情况”的可怕心理表象。使用前瞻性眼动脱敏再处理（EMDR）治疗焦虑症的适用性证据正在增加。
这项试点研究将前瞻性EMDR程序作为治疗与未来MS问题相关焦虑症的MS患者的一种治疗选择进行研究。
八名患有焦虑症的MS患者接受了一至三次以未来情景为目标的EMDR治疗。在三个时间点使用关于焦虑、抑郁、担忧、认知回避和生活质量的问卷评估治疗效果：治疗前、治疗后即刻和三个月随访。
与治疗前相比，治疗后焦虑、抑郁和担忧有显著改善。在病例系列分析中，除一名参与者外，所有参与者在焦虑方面均显示出具有临床意义的差异。
在建议大规模实施之前，需要进一步研究前瞻性目标的EMDR对MS患者焦虑症的治疗价值。然而，这项试点研究的积极结果可被视为有前景的，并为未来研究提供了动力。
