Experience with non-drug therapies (psychotherapy, phytotherapy, reflexotherapy) for neurasthenia
https://doi.org/10.14412/2074-2711-2014-2-19-24
Abstract
Objective: to study the efficiency of treating neurasthenia by psychotherapy in combination with reflexotherapy (acupuncture) and phytotherapy.
Patients and methods. Psychotherapy or combination treatment (psychotherapy + reflexotherapy, psychotherapy + phytotherapy) was performed in 96 neurasthenic patients (65 men and 31 women) aged 18 to 40 years. Therapeutic effectiveness was evaluated by psychometric testing using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), the Spielberger-Hanin test, and the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-20).
Results. All the patients underwent a complete treatment cycle for 35 days. After the therapy, all the patients showed a stable reduction in emotional lability and a decrease in the magnitude of somatic complaints. Analysis of CGI data revealed the good therapeutic effect of a combination of non-drug treatments: at the initial stage of therapy, it was rated as improvement; by the end of the third week, a noticeable improvement was recorded in half of all the patients. According to the clinical assessment, practical recovery and considerable improvement were noted in 60.8% of the patients in Group 1, in 69.7% in Group 2, in 37% in Group 3, or in 57.3 of all the patients. The MFI-20 scores for all sections improved significantly. The mean Spielberger-Hanin scores for personal and reactive anxiety decreased from 34.5 to 29.5 and from 35.5 to 32.1, respectively.
Conclusion. The combination treatment of neurasthenia was established to be highly effective. A combination of psychotherapy and phytotherapy was more effective for comorbidity of asthenic symptomatology with anxiety and depressive manifestations, so was that of reflexotherapy and psychotherapy for somatoautonomic disorders and an anxious component. Psychotherapy as monotherapy proved to be less efficient.
About the Authors
S.A BozhkoRussian Federation
Laboratory for the Development and Introduction of New Non-Drug Treatments, Research Center
N.A. Tyuvina
Russian Federation
Department of Psychiatry and Narcology
References
1. Овсянников СА. История и эпистемология пограничной психиатрии. Москва: Альпари; 1995. 205 с. [Ovsyannikov SA. Istoriya i epistemologiya pogranichnoi psikhiatrii [History and epistemologiya of boundary psychiatry]. Moscow: Al'pari; 1995. 205 p.]
2. Тиганов АС. Руководство по психиатрии. Москва: Медицина; 1999. 784 с. [Tiganov AS. Rukovodstvo po psikhiatrii [Guide to psychiatry]. Moscow: Meditsina; 1999. 784 p.]
3. Карвасарский БД. Неврозы. Москва: Медицина; 1980. 448 с. [Karvasarskii BD. Nevrozy [Neurosises]. Moscow: Meditsina;
4. 448 p.]
5. Карвасарский БД, Тупицин ЮЯ. Глоссарий основных форм и синдромов для унифицированной клинической оценки состояния больных неврозами. Методические рекомендации. Москва; 1974. 42 с. [Karvasarskii BD, Tupitsin YuYa. The glossary the main forms and syndromes for the unified clinical assessment of conditions of patients with neurosises. Metodicheskie rekomendatsii [Methodical recommendations]. Moscow; 1974. 42 p.]
6. Лакосина НД. Клинические варианты невротического развития. Москва: Медицина; 1970. 218 с. [Lakosina ND. Klinicheskie varianty nevroticheskogo razvitiya [Clinical options of neurotic development]. Moscow: Meditsina; 1970. 218 p.]
7. Егоров БЕ. Комплексная эмоционально-стрессовая психотерапия депрессивного невроза и невротической депрессии. Дисс. …канд. мед. наук. 1988. 145 с. [Egorov BE. Kompleksnaya emotsional'no-stressovaya psikhoterapiya depressivnogo nevroza i nevroticheskoi depressii [Complex emotional and stressful psychotherapy of depressive neurosis and neurotic
8. depression]. Diss. ... kand. med. nauk. 1988. 145 p.]
9. Лувсан Г. Традиционные и современные аспекты восточной рефлексотерапии. Москва: Наука; 1986. 574 c. [Luvsan G.
10. Traditsionnye i sovremennye aspekty vostochnoi refleksoterapii [Traditional and modern aspects of east reflexotherapy]. Mosсow: Nauka; 1986. 574 p.]
11. Дробышева НА. Рефлексотерапия при различных заболеваниях. В кн.: Практическое руководство по рефлексотерапии. Москва; 1997. 168 с. [Drobysheva NA. Reflexotherapy at various diseases. In: Prakticheskoe rukovodstvo po refleksoterapii [Practical guidance on reflexotherapy]. Moscow; 1997. 168 p.]
12. Михайлова АА. Рефлексотерапия неврозов. Учебно-методическое пособие. Москва; 1989. 89 с. [Mikhailova AA. Reflexotherapy of neurosises. Uchebno-metodicheskoe posobie [Educational and methodical grant]. Moscow; 1989. 89 p.]
13. Стояновский ДН. Справочник по иглоукалыванию и прижиганию. Кишинев: Картя Молдовеняскэ; 1987. 256 с. [Stoyanovskii DN. Spravochnik po igloukalyvaniyu i prizhiganiyu [Reference book on acupuncture and cauterization]. Kishinev: Kartya Moldovenyaske; 1987. 256 p.]
14. Стояновский ДН. Частная рефлексотерапия. Справочник. Под ред. С.М. Зольникова. Кишинев: Картя Молдовеняскэ; 1990. 332 с. [Stoyanovskii DN. Private reflexotherapy. Spravochnik [Directory]. Zol'nikov SM, editor. Kishinev: Kartya Moldovenyaske; 1990. 332 p.]
15. Табеева ДМ. Практическая акупунктура. Смоленск: Гомеопат медицина; 1997. 490 с. [Tabeeva DM. Prakticheskaya akupunktura [Practical acupuncture]. Smolensk: Gomeopat meditsina; 1997. 490 p.]
16. Тыкочинская ЭД. Основы иглотерапии. Москва: Медицина; 1979. 343 с. [Tykochinskaya ED. Osnovy igloterapii [Fundamentals of acupuncture]. Moscow: Meditsina; 1979. 343 p.]
17. Nguyen-Van-Nghi, Ulderica Lauza, Maj Van Dong. Theorie et pratique de 1'analgesie pa 1'acupuncture. Marselle; 1974.
18. Чжу-Лянь. Руководство по современной Чжэнь-цзю терапии. Москва: Медгиз; 1959. 270 с. [Chzhu-Lyan'. Rukovodstvo po sovremennoi Chzhen'-tszyu terapii [The management on modern Zhen-tszyu of therapy]. Moscow: Medgiz; 1959. 270 p.]
19. Носов А. Лекарственные растения. Москва: ЭКСМО-Пресс; 2001. 349 с. [Nosov A. Lekarstvennye rasteniya [Herbs]. Moscow: EKSMO-Press; 2001. 349 p.]
20. Свиридонов Г. Лесной огород. Москва: Молодая гвардия; 1984. 223 с. [Sviridonov G. Lesnoi ogorod [Forest kitchen garden]. Moscow: Molodaya gvardiya; 1984. 223 p.]
21. Соколов СЯ, Замотаев ИП. Справочник по лекарственным растениям (фитотерапия). 2-е изд. Москва: Недра; 1987. 512 с. [Sokolov SYa, Zamotaev IP. Spravochnik polekarstvennym rasteniyam (fitoterapiya) [Reference book on herbs (phytotherapy)]. 2nd ed. Moscow: Nedra; 1987. 512 p.]
22. Юдельсон ЯБ, Макарова МА, Кугелева АО. Лечение функциональной астении. Вестник Смоленской медицинской академии. 2003;(4):65–7. [Yudel'son YaB, Makarova MA, Kugeleva AO. Treatment of a functional adynamy. Vestnik Smolenskoi meditsinskoi akademii. 2003;(4):65–7. (In Russ.)]
Review
For citations:
Bozhko S, Tyuvina N. Experience with non-drug therapies (psychotherapy, phytotherapy, reflexotherapy) for neurasthenia. Nevrologiya, neiropsikhiatriya, psikhosomatika = Neurology, Neuropsychiatry, Psychosomatics. 2014;6(2):19-24. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.14412/2074-2711-2014-2-19-24