Epilepsy, Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Epilepsy, Drug-resistant epilepsy, Seizure, Mindfulness, Stress, Psychotherapy
Brief summary
Psychological problems are prevalent among patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The bi-directional interaction between psychological well-being and seizure have been recognized in recent years. Reduction of psychological stress has the potential to improve seizure manifestation. The present study uses an assessor-blinded prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a mindfulness-based psychotherapy and an attentional-placebo social support on improving psychological well-being, seizure control and cognitive performance among adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness-based therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is a four biweekly two-and-a-half-hour psychotherapy tailored for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The aims of this therapy are to introduce and practice mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in coping with drug-resistant epilepsy.
BEHAVIORALSocial support group
Social support group is an attention-placebo with the same contact hours (four bi-weekly two-and-a-half-hour) as the experimental group, but without active treatment input. The aim of the social support group is to provide a supportive group atmosphere for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Sponsors
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* a diagnosis of epilepsy * over 18 years of age * resistant to pharmacological treatment according to the ILAE guideline * no previous history of neurosurgery * adequate level of reading and understanding ability to fill in questionnaires * capable to communicate with the investigator with considerable expressive capacity * patients who agree to cooperate with the study procedures required by the protocol * patients who understand the nature of the study, agree to participate and sign the informed consent form
Exclusion criteria
* with primary diagnosis of substance use disorder, mood disorder, bipolar affective disorder, psychosis, or organic mental disorder * with diagnosis of learning disability or mental retardation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change in quality of life (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31-P Total Score) from baseline to post-intervention | Baseline, 4-week post-intervention |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed