The following is a summary of “Cognitive behavioral therapy approaches to the improvement of mental health in Parkinson’s disease patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the September 2024 issue of Neurology by Wu et al.
Non-motor symptoms (NMS) like impaired cognition, anxiety, and depression can significantly and negatively impact the QoL of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is frequently used as a treatment option to improve mental health in patients with PD.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the relative safety and efficacy of CBT for patients with PD with cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression, focusing on the impact on QoL.
They searched PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Library for studies on “cognitive behavioral therapy” and “PD.” Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed bias. The meta-analysis included 22 RCTs with 1,053 patients, focusing on CBT’s impact on older patients with PD. Study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias framework, and heterogeneity was measured with mean difference (MD), I2, and 95% CI.
The results showed 22 RCTs and meta-analysis indicated that CBT significantly impacted cognition compared to other treatments, including placebo treatment, clinical monitoring, clinic-based treatment, psychoeducation, physical activity training, and health enhancement (I2= 49%, MD = 0.23, 95%CI: 0.03–0.44, P=0.03). CBT was also linked to significant enhancements in patients with PD QoL (I2 = 0%, MD = 3.45, 95%CI: 1.13–5.57, P=0.04), anxiety symptoms (I2= 57%, MD = -2.01, 95%CI: -4.01–0.01, P=0.05), and depression symptoms (I2 = 74%, MD = -3.94, 95%CI: -6.47 to -1.42, P=0.04).
They concluded that CBT can benefit patients with PD cognitive status and QoL, effectively treating NMS such as anxiety and depression, and enhancing mental health, cognition, and QoL.
Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03859-x
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