Functional Neurologic Disease
Conditions
Brief summary
Functional (psychogenic or somatoform) symptoms are commonly observed in neurology clinics. There is no known empirically validated treatment approach to functional symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be effective, but there are major obstacles to its provision. The investigators will test the hypothesis that adding a CBT-based guided self-help (GSH) as compared to treatment as usual (TAU) improves patient outcomes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTreatment As Usual
Communicating the diagnosis to the patient's primary care doctor and neurologist. May include referrals for physical therapy or psychiatric evaluations, or referrals to community therapists or doctors.
BEHAVIORALGuided Self-Help
A self-help workbook based on cognitive behavioral therapy, and four half-hour guidance sessions over a three-month period.
Sponsors
Mayo Clinic
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adult neurology outpatient with functional symptoms not largely explained by neurologic disease.
Exclusion criteria
* Unable to use the Guided Self-Help intervention, such as due to significant cognitive impairment or unable to comprehend English. * Requires specialist psychiatric care. * Has headache as the only symptom.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CGI | 3 months | Clinical Global Improvement scale score (much worse, worse, same, better, much better) rated by the patient. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed