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Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a widespread transdiagnostic health problem with increasing prevalence among adolescences, and young adults. It is therefore essential to effectively chart the epidemiology of DSH, as well as to assess the efficacy of interventions designed to modify this behavior. The aim was to translate and analyze the psychometric properties of the Norwegian versions of two instruments designed to assess DSH: the Deliberate Self-harm Inventory (DSHI) and the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury (ISAS), as well as to assess the prevalence of DSH within a nonclinical Norwegian adult population. Of the 402 participants who completed a questionnaire packet comprising the DSHI, ISAS, general questions about DSH, and other related measures, 30.6% reported some form of DSH. Those with a history of DSH reported greater difficulties with emotion regulation than those without. Participants with and without a history of DSH did not differ in unrelated constructs, including social desirability. The frequency of specific DSH behaviors was in accordance with previous research, with cutting being the most frequent. The factor structure of DSH functions in the Norwegian ISAS was generally comparable to the factor structure of the English version. Overall, results indicate that: a) the Norwegian versions of the DSHI and ISAS behave as expected and in accordance with prior research in other languages and other populations, and b) both the DSHI and ISAS have high internal consistency and adequate construct, convergent, and discriminant validity, and may be applied to evaluate DSH in adult Norwegian populations.

BACKGROUND Noncardiac chest pain has a high prevalence and is associated with reduced quality of life, anxiety, avoidance of physical activity, and high societal costs. There is a lack of an effective, low-cost, easy to distribute intervention to assist patients with noncardiac chest pain. OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with telephone support for noncardiac chest pain. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial, with a 12-month follow-up period, to compare internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy to a control condition (treatment as usual). A total of 162 participants aged 18 to 70 years with a diagnosis of noncardiac chest pain were randomized to either internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (n=81) or treatment as usual (n=81). The participants in the experimental condition received 6 weekly sessions of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy. The sessions covered different topics related to coping with noncardiac chest pain (education about the heart, physical activity, interpretations/attention, physical reactions to stress, optional panic treatment, and maintaining change). Between sessions, the participants also engaged in individually tailored physical exercises with increasing intensity. In addition to internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy sessions, participants received a brief weekly call from a clinician to provide support, encourage adherence, and provide access to the next session. Participants in the treatment-as-usual group received standard care for their noncardiac chest pain without any restrictions. Primary outcomes were cardiac anxiety, measured with the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire, and fear of bodily sensations, measured with the Body Sensations Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were depression, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire; health-related quality of life, measured using the EuroQol visual analog scale; and level of physical activity, assessed with self-report question. Additionally, a subgroup analysis of participants with depressive symptoms at baseline (PHQ-9 score ≥5) was conducted. Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate treatment effects. Cohen d was used to calculate effect sizes. RESULTS In the main intention-to-treat analysis at the 12-month follow-up time point, participants in the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy group had significant improvements in cardiac anxiety (–3.4 points, 95% CI –5.7 to –1.1; P=.004, d=0.38) and a nonsignificant improvement in fear of bodily sensations (–2.7 points, 95% CI –5.6 to 0.3; P=.07) compared with the treatment-as-usual group. Health-related quality of life at the 12-month follow-up improved with statistical and clinical significance in the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy group (8.8 points, 95% CI 2.8 to 14.8; P=.004, d=0.48) compared with the treatment-as-usual group. Physical activity had significantly (PP=.003) and at the 3-month follow-up (P=.03), but not at the 12-month follow-up (P=.35). Participants with depressive symptoms at baseline seemed to have increased effect of the intervention on cardiac anxiety (d=0.55) and health-related quality of life (d=0.71) at the 12-month follow-up. In the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy group, 84% of the participants (68/81) completed at least 5 of the 6 sessions. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with minimal therapist contact and a focus on physical activity is effective in reducing cardiac anxiety and increasing health related quality of life in patients with noncardiac chest pain. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03096925; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03096925

Theoretical and empirical work is needed to adapt psychotherapy to psychosis. The article introduces dialogue therapy (DT), a philosophical-ethical, humanistic, and dialogue-oriented individual psy...

Parenting a child with neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is related to a higher rate of anxiety and depression, increased stress, and reduced quality of life. Although there is reason to believe that parenting children with NDD in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) can be challenging, there is a lack of knowledge on the psychological distress among these caregivers, especially in rural areas. The aim of the study was to examine the psychological distress among caregivers having children with NDD in rural Nepal. Sixty-three caregivers were visited in their homes and interviewed by experienced mental health professionals. This study examined demographic information, severity of disability, perceived caregiver burden, and psychological distress, measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). The study found a high level of psychological distress in the caregivers (M = 5.38, SD = 2.8). A majority (90.5%) scored two or higher, indicating the presence of a common mental disorder (CMD). Almost half (46%) scored six or higher, indicating a high level of distress. A majority of the caregivers reported that caring for their disabled child had a negative effect on the caregiver’s economy (70%), physical health (65%), social life (64%), and dreams and expectations for the future (81%). There was a significant relationship between the caregiver’s psychological distress (GHQ-12) and degree of disability in the child (Gross Motor Function Classification System), degree of caregiver burden, feeding problems, having health workers as a possible source of help, receiving incentive from the government, having somebody to confide in, and caregiver illiteracy. A forward regression analysis entering the significant factors indicated that caregiver burden, having someone to confide in, and having health workers as a possible source of help were significant related to psychological distress. The final step of the model explained 42.4% of the variance in psychological distress among the caregivers. The study indicates a high level of psychological distress and high overall burden in caregivers of children with NDD in rural Nepal. Further implications for research and service development are discussed.

The first aim of the study was to identify when deliberate self-harm (DSH) behavior ceased in patients with borderline symptoms undergoing dialectical behavioral treatment (DBT). The second aim was to compare patients who ceased their self-harm behavior early or late in the course of treatment, with regard to demographics, comorbidity, and symptom severity. The study used a naturalistic design and included 75 treatment completers at an outpatient DBT clinic. Of these 75 patients, 46 presented with self-harming behavior at pre-treatment. These 46 participants where split into two groups, based on median amount of time before ceasing self-harm behavior, termed early (up to 8 weeks) and late (8+ weeks) responders. Treatment duration varied from 16 to 160 weeks. Patients were assessed pre- and post-treatment using measures of depression, hopelessness, personality traits, quality of life, and global assessment of symptoms and functioning. The majority (93.5%) ceased their self-harming within the first year, and the average number of weeks was 15.5 (SD = 17.8). Twenty-five percent of patients ceased their DSH behavior during the first week of treatment. For the remaining patients, the cessation of DSH continued gradually across a 1 year period. We found no differences between early and late responders with respect to demographics, comorbidity, symptom severity, or treatment outcome. None of the patients committed suicide. The findings indicate that self-harming behavior decreases gradually across the first year after starting DBT.

Nearly half of patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) experience significant complaints after a negative cardiac evaluation, at considerable costs for society. Due to the lack of treatment capacity and low interest for psychological treatment among patients with somatic complaints, only a minority receive effective treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and usefulness of internet-assisted cognitive behavioural therapy (I-CBT), including encouragement of physical activity for this condition. Ten patients with NCCP received a six-session I-CBT intervention with minimal support from a therapist. Questionnaires assessing cardiac anxiety, fear of bodily sensations, depression, interpretation of symptoms, frequency of chest pain and impact of chest pain symptoms were collected at baseline, post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Semi-structured interviews employing a phenomenological hermeneutic approach assessed the participants’ experience of the intervention. Quantitative results showed clear improvements in several measures both at end of treatment and at 3-month follow-up. The retention rate was 100% and client satisfaction was high. The intervention was feasible to implement in a cardiac setting. This setting made it easier for patients to accept a psychological approach. Qualitative interviews revealed that the participants felt respected and taken care of, and they obtained a better understanding of their chest pain and how to cope with it. This pilot study yielded promising results regarding feasibility, clinical effect and patient satisfaction from a brief I-CBT intervention for NCCP in a cardiac setting. These results indicate that a randomized controlled trial with a larger sample size is warranted. Key learning aims (1) Feasibility of internet-assisted cognitive behavioural therapy (I-CBT) for non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). (2) How NCCP patients experience I-CBT. (3) Possible effects of I-CBT. (4) How I-CBT can be delivered at the Cardiac Department.

Objectives The aims of the study were to investigate the feasibility and preliminary outcome of a Norwegian web‐based self‐help application for vestibular rehabilitation (VR) among patients with high symptom burden of chronic dizziness fulfilling the criteria for persistent postural‐perceptual dizziness (PPPD). Materials and methods The web application consists of six weekly online sessions, with written information and video presentations. It is self‐instructive and freely available on NHI.no (https://nhi.no/for‐helsepersonell/vestibular‐rehabilitering/). Ten consecutive patients referred to a neurologic outpatient clinic for chronic dizziness were included. They signed informed consent forms and were examined at inclusion and after three months. State of health and symptom burden were recorded using Vertigo symptom score (VSS), Niigata symptom score (NPQ), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) and health‐related quality of life score (EQ5D‐5L). Experiences with the program were measured using a semi‐structured interview at the end of the study. Results Nine out of ten patients completed the program. The findings suggest that the web application was easy to use, instructive and educatable. Challenges were the load of exercises, motivation to continue training during relapses and performing the body rolling on the floor. Participants had high symptom burden (VSS mean 32.9) and long duration of symptoms in years (mean 11.5). The participants improved on average 6.9 points on the VSS score. Conclusions This web application for chronic dizziness appears to be feasible and may reduce symptoms in patients who have struggled with serious and long‐lasting dizziness., The aims of the study were to investigate the feasibility and preliminary outcome of a Norwegian web‐based self‐help application for vestibular rehabilitation (VR) among patients with high symptom burden of chronic dizziness fulfilling the criteria for persistent postural‐perceptual dizziness (PPPD). The findings suggest that the web application was easy to use, instructive, educatable and effective.

Aim: Although many patients with anxiety and depression suffer from muscular pain and bodily dysfunctions, body is largely ignored in treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Learning Oriented Physiotherapy (LOP), based on recent knowledge about overlapping brain networks and the need of awakening body awareness in order to synchronise body and mind. Methods: Patients with moderate anxiety and/or depression referred to three outpatient psychiatric clinics in Norway during October 2014 to January 2016 were invited to participate. Of eligible patients, 42 were randomised to LOP and 39 to standard psychiatric treatment (controls). Self-reports of anxiety and depression (HADS), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) and global health (EQ-VAS) were recorded every 6 months from baseline (T1) to 18 months after (T4). Mixed linear model (MLM) analysis was used to estimate overall differences between groups. Results: After 1 year of follow-up, LOP participants reported higher quality of life and perceived global health than controls. At the end of the trial, there were no mean differences in health outcomes between groups, but LOP participants showed an overall faster rate of recovery than controls. Conclusions: LOP may be as effective as conventional therapies for patients with moderate anxiety and depression. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.

Aim: To study the effect of cognitive function, fatigue and emotional symptoms on employment after a minor ischemic stroke compared to non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Material and methods: We included 217 patients with minor ischemic stroke and 133 NSTEMI patients employed at baseline aged 18–70 years. Minor stroke was defined as modified Rankin scale (mRS) 0–2 at day seven or at discharge if before. Included NSTEMI patients had the same functional mRS. We applied a selection of cognitive tests and the patients completed questionnaires measuring symptoms of anxiety, depression and fatigue at follow up. Stroke patients were tested at three and 12 months and NSTEMI at 12 months. Results: The patients still employed at 12 monthswere significantly younger than the unemployed patients and the NSTEMI patients employed were significantly older than the stroke patients (59 vs 55 years, p < .001). In total, 82 % of stroke patients and 90 % of the NSTEMI patients employed at baseline were still employed at 12 months (p = 06). Stroke patients at work after 12 months had higher education than unemployed patients. There were no difference between employed and unemployed patients in risk factors or location of cerebral ischemic lesions. Cognitive function did not change significantly in the stroke patients from three to 12 months. For stroke patients, we found a significant association between HADS-depression and unemployment at 12 months (p = 04), although this association was not present at three months. Lower age and higher educational level were associated with employment at 12 months for all patients. Discussion and conclusion: Age and education are the main factors influencing the ability to stay in work after a minor stroke. Employed stroke patients were younger than the NSTEMI patients, but there was no difference in the frequencies in remaining employed. The employment rate at 12 months was high despite the relatively high prevalence of cognitive impairment in both groups. publishedVersion

Background Noncardiac chest pain has a high prevalence and is associated with reduced quality of life, anxiety, avoidance of physical activity, and high societal costs. There is a lack of an effective, low-cost, easy to distribute intervention to assist patients with noncardiac chest pain. Objective In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with telephone support for noncardiac chest pain. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial, with a 12-month follow-up period, to compare internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy to a control condition (treatment as usual). A total of 162 participants aged 18 to 70 years with a diagnosis of noncardiac chest pain were randomized to either internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (n=81) or treatment as usual (n=81). The participants in the experimental condition received 6 weekly sessions of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy. The sessions covered different topics related to coping with noncardiac chest pain (education about the heart, physical activity, interpretations/attention, physical reactions to stress, optional panic treatment, and maintaining change). Between sessions, the participants also engaged in individually tailored physical exercises with increasing intensity. In addition to internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy sessions, participants received a brief weekly call from a clinician to provide support, encourage adherence, and provide access to the next session. Participants in the treatment-as-usual group received standard care for their noncardiac chest pain without any restrictions. Primary outcomes were cardiac anxiety, measured with the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire, and fear of bodily sensations, measured with the Body Sensations Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were depression, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire; health-related quality of life, measured using the EuroQol visual analog scale; and level of physical activity, assessed with self-report question. Additionally, a subgroup analysis of participants with depressive symptoms at baseline (PHQ-9 score ≥5) was conducted. Assessments were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate treatment effects. Cohen d was used to calculate effect sizes. Results In the main intention-to-treat analysis at the 12-month follow-up time point, participants in the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy group had significant improvements in cardiac anxiety (–3.4 points, 95% CI –5.7 to –1.1; P=.004, d=0.38) and a nonsignificant improvement in fear of bodily sensations (–2.7 points, 95% CI –5.6 to 0.3; P=.07) compared with the treatment-as-usual group. Health-related quality of life at the 12-month follow-up improved with statistical and clinical significance in the internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy group (8.8 points, 95% CI 2.8 to 14.8; P=.004, d=0.48) compared with the treatment-as-usual group. Physical activity had significantly (P Conclusions This study provides evidence that internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with minimal therapist contact and a focus on physical activity is effective in reducing cardiac anxiety and increasing health related quality of life in patients with noncardiac chest pain. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03096925; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03096925

Although pharmacological interventions have been the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of psychotherapy. To investigate whether a novel...

Background: The need for psychological therapies for psychosis has become apparent since long-term antipsychotic drug treatment has a range of adverse side effects, with moderate therapeutic effects at best. Aims: To investigate whether the psychotherapeutic approach, dialogue therapy (DT) is associated with improvements of symptoms and functioning beyond standard psychiatric treatment (ST) in both schizophrenia and other psychosis. Methods: A retrospective case-control design, comparing 54 patients with different psychoses who received DT with 54 patients in a control group receiving ST was carried out. The groups were matched on diagnosis, age, sex, and treatment start. Outcome measures were Global assessment of functioning (GAF) scores, medications at follow up, and hospital stays after completed outpatient treatment. Results: Mean time in treatment from inclusion to follow-up was 3 years and 5 months. At follow-up, GAF functioning (GAF-F) and GAF symptom (GAF-S) scores both were significantly higher in the DT group than the ST group. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were large; 1.8 for GAF-S and 2.1 for GAF-F. At follow-up, the use of psychoactive drugs was significantly reduced despite a shorter time in psychotherapy in the DT group compared to the ST group. Days of hospitalizations after end of treatment in the study period were significantly reduced in both groups compared to the period before start of treatment. Conclusions: The findings from this exploratory study are consistent with the possibility that dialogue therapy may lead to improvements in symptoms and functioning compared to standard treatment in psychosis. Copyright © 2019 Haram, Fosse, Jonsbu and Hole. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Aim. To study the prevalence of cognitive and emotional impairment following a minor ischemic stroke compared to an age-matched group with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Methods. We included patients aged 18-70 years with a minor ischemic stroke defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2 at day 7 or at discharge if before and age-matched NSTEMI patients with the same functional mRS. We applied a selection of cognitive tests and the patients completed a questionnaire comprising of Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at follow-up 12 months after the vascular event. Results of cognitive tests were also compared to normative data. Results. 325 ischemic stroke and 144 NSTEMI patients were included. There was no significant difference in cognitive functioning between ischemic stroke and NSTEMI patients. Minor stroke patients and to a lesser extent NSTEMI patients scored worse on more complex cognitive functions including planning and implementation of activities compared to validated normative data. For the minor stroke patients the location of the ischemic lesion had no influence on the result. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and fatigue was significantly higher in the stroke group compared to the NSTEMI group. Depression was independently associated with reduced cognitive function. Discussion and Conclusion. Minor ischemic stroke patients, and to lesser degree NSTEMI patients, had reduced cognitive function compared to normative data, especially executive functioning, on 12-month follow-up. The difference in cognitive function between stroke and NSTEMI patients was not significant. Depression was associated with low scores on cognitive tests highlighting the need to adequately address emotional sequelae when considering treatment options for cognitive disabilities. Copyright © 2019 Åse Hagen Morsund et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Objectives To study the development of cognitive and emotional symptoms between 3 and 12 months after a minor stroke. Material and Methods We included patients from stroke units at hospitals in the Central Norway Health Authority and from Haukeland University Hospital. We administered a selection of cognitive tests, and the patients completed a questionnaire 3 and 12 months post‐stroke. Cognitive impairment was defined as impairment of ≥2 cognitive tests. Results A total of 324 patients completed the 3‐month testing, whereas 37 patients were lost to follow‐up at 12 months. The results showed significant improvement of cognitive function defined as impairment of ≥2 cognitive tests (P = .03) from months 3 to 12. However, most patients still showed cognitive impairment at 12 months with a prevalence of 35.4%. There is significant association between several of the cognitive tests and hypertension and smoking (P = .002 and .05). The prevalence of depression, but not anxiety, increased from 3 to 12 months (P = .04). The prevalence of fatigue did not change and was thus still high with 29.5% after 12 months. Conclusions This study shows that an improvement of cognitive function still occurs between 3 and 12 months. Despite this, the prevalence of mostly minor cognitive impairment still remains high 12 months after the stroke. The increasing prevalence of depressive symptoms highlights the importance of being vigilant of depressive symptoms throughout the rehabilitation period. Furthermore, high prevalence of fatigue persisted. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. © 2019 The Authors. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Background: Many patients with non-cardiac chest pain or benign palpitations have poor prognosis in terms of symptom persistence, limitations in everyday activities, and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Aims: The aims of the study were to evaluate the changes and impact of illness perceptions during a three-session cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention for patients with non-cardiac chest pain or benign palpitations. Method: Patients with persistent complaints 6 months after a negative cardiac evaluation were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial. Patients in the intervention group (n = 21) received three manualized sessions with CBT, including one physical activity exposure session; the control group (n = 19) received usual care from their general practitioner. Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ) was used to measure illness perceptions. Patients were assessed at start and end of the intervention and at 3- and 12-month follow-up. Results: The intervention and control group differed significantly on five of the eight items of BIPQ at least at one follow-up assessment. At end of treatment and at 3-month follow-up change in illness concern (Item 6 in BIPQ) mediated about 40% of the change in depression from baseline, and at 12-month follow-up about 50% of the change in depression was mediated by change in personal control (Item 3 in BIPQ). Conclusion: Illness perceptions measured with BIPQ may mediate the short and long term treatment effects of a three-session CBT-programme for patients with non-cardiac chest pain and benign palpitations.

More than 50 % of patients seeking hospital care because of chest pain are diagnosed as having “non-cardiac” symptoms [1, 2]. Many patients are discharged without knowing the cause of their chest pain [3, 4]. Patients with noncardiac chest pain experience psychological distress [5, 6] and use healthcare resources to a great extent, leading to high healthcare costs [7–11]. Despite reassurance [12], many patients think they have an undetected cardiac disease and avoid activities that they believe might be harmful to the heart [13, 14]. Cardiac anxiety is common in patients with recurrent non-cardiac chest pain [6], leading to a vicious cycle, as it leads to maintenance of both anxiety and pain and secondary avoidance of physical activity [15, 16]. Targeting cardiac anxiety with psychological interventions might break the vicious circle and improve patient outcomes. Patients need to evaluate the way they perceive and handle their chest pain; this can be achieved using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) [17]. There is strong support for face-to-face CBT in the treatment of mild and moderately severe states of anxiety and depressive disorders [18–20] and non-cardiac chest pain [21, 22]. Previous face-to-face CBT studies [12, 23–26] have shown positive effects on chest pain frequency, activity avoidance, anxiety, and depression among patients with non-cardiac chest pain. Face-to-face CBT can be effective when delivered by experts, but it is time-consuming [27, 28] and therefore not easy to provide to everyone. Internet-delivered CBT seems as a good alternative since it is cheaper, is not time dependent, and requires less therapist involvement [28], and could therefore be given to more patients. Therapist-guided Internet-delivered CBT does not differ from face-to-face treatment with regard to treatment effects [28–30], regardless of the background of the therapist guiding the Internet-delivered CBT [18, 31–33]. As concluded by Sharp et al. [34], Internet-delivered CBT might be a means to increase access to psychological treatment to patients with different chronic somatic conditions, although more research is needed to establish the feasibility and efficacy of Internet-delivered CBT for such populations. However, no Internet-delivered CBT programs have been tested in patients with non-cardiac chest pain. Our hypothesis was that a guided Internetdelivered CBT program targeting cardiac anxiety can help patients modify their beliefs about chest pain, change their cognitive and behavioural strategies, and give them tools to handle their chest pain. Furthermore, a four-week treatment would be preferred by the patients and easier to implement in the healthcare settings than a longer faceto-face treatment. The purpose of the study was to test the feasibility of a short guided Internet-delivered CBT program and explore the effects on cardiac anxiety, fear of body sensations, depressive symptoms, and chest pain in patients with non-cardiac chest pain, compared with usual care.

Objectives: The aims were to (a) study the characteristics and outcome in patients with noncardiac chest pain or benign palpitations referred for cardiac evaluation, (b) compare psychological characteristics in the two groups, (c) identify predictors of outcome (d) and explore characteristics of patients who wanted psychological treatment. Methods: The patients (N=154) were first evaluated by a psychiatrist and than by a cardiologist at the initial attendance and by self report after 6 months. Results: Thirty nine percent had at least one DSM-IV psychiatric disorder at attendance. At the 6-month follow-up, 43% still had clinically significant complaints and/or impaired function. Patients with palpitations were more likely to be female, younger and less likely to attribute cardiac symptoms to heart disease, but had otherwise similar psychological features to noncardiac chest pain patients. Depression score at attendance predicted significant complaints at follow-up. Interest in psychological treatment was associated with more fear of bodily sensations, more impaired function, and greater tendency to attribute symptoms to heart disease. Conclusion: Psychiatric disorders were common. The 6-month outcome was poor and was associated with the depression score at attendance. Patients with fear of bodily symptoms and impaired function were most interested in psychological treatment.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of cardiac and psychiatric diagnoses in patients with chest pain and palpitations.Consecutive patients (n=198), aged between 18 and 65, referred to a cardiac outpatient unit for evaluation for chest pain or palpitations, were asked to participate. Patients with a previous history of heart disease, confirmed by a cardiologist, were excluded. The final sample comprised 160 patients. The cardiac evaluation comprised a bicycle stress test, myocardial scintigraphy, coronary angiography, or Holter monitoring. The psychiatric evaluation consisted of a diagnostic interview.The prevalence of coronary heart disease was 4%. No cases of arrhythmia in need of treatment were detected. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders, among those without coronary heart disease, was 39%: 14% panic disorder, 14% somatoform disorders, and 5% major depression.Cardiac conditions were rare, and the prevalence of panic and somatoform disorders was about three times higher than that of cardiac disease. The study illustrates the importance of having a strategy to identify psychiatric disorders in patients referred for chest pain or palpitations.

Det er ei stor utfordring a gi pasientar med kjenslemessig ustabilitet og sjolvdestruktiv atferd eit godt behandlingstilbod. Dialektisk atferdsterapi (DBT) er ein poliklinisk behandlingsmodell som har gitt gode resultat. DBT-poliklinikken i Molde er den forste i sitt slag i Noreg. Vi onskjer i dette arbeidet a evaluere vare pasientar i hove til komorbiditet, karakteristika for dei som deltok og dei som fall ut av behandlinga, endringar under behandling, samt a samanlikne pasientar med kort og lang behandlingstid. Pasientane blir evaluert i hove til alder, kjonn, diagnosar og psykometriske variablar. Av 128 pasientar evaluert for DBT, starta 60 opp i programmet. Pasientane vart diagnostisert med MINI og SCID-II, i tillegg til eigenvurderingar og terapeutvurderingar av psykometriske variablar. Det var hog grad av komorbiditet, og dei fleste hadde personlegdomsdiagnosar (80 %). Frafallprosent var lag (20 %). Dei som fall fra skilte seg lite fra behandlingsgruppa ved oppstart av behandlinga. Behandlingsgruppa viste signifikant positiv endring for haployse, depresjon, livskvalitet, psykisk helse, skar for personlegdomsforstyrring og terapeutvurdert funksjons- og symptomskar. Dei med kort behandlingstid var yngre og hadde mindre eteforstyrringar. DBT-poliklinikk i Distrikts-Noreg synest a vere eit hensiktsmessig og godt behandlingstilbod for pasientar med kjenslemessig dysregulering og sjolvdestruktiv atferd. Offering proper treatment to people with emotional instability and self-destructive behaviour is a challenge. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an outpatient treatment that has proven effective. The DBT-outpatient clinic in Molde is the first of its kind in Norway. In this study we want to evaluate patients according to comorbidity, characteristics of those who attended and those who dropped out of treatment, changes during treatment, and differences by length of treatment. Of 128 patients evaluated for DBT, 60 attended the programme. The patients were diagnosed by MINI and SCID II, in addition to self-evaluations and therapist assessments of psychiatric variables. The degree of comorbidity was high and most of the patients had personality disorders (80%). Dropout was low (20 %). The dropouts showed little difference at the beginning of treatment from those who completed the treatment. The treatment group showed significant positive changes in hopelessness, depression, mental health, quality of life, personality disorder scores and therapist-assessed scores for symptoms and function. The patients who attended for a short time were younger and had lower prevalence of eating disorder The DBT outpatient clinic seems to offer suitable and positive treatment for patients with emotional dysregulation and self-destructive behaviour in rural parts of Norway.

Objectives Many patients with noncardiac chest pain or benign palpitations have poor prognosis in terms of symptom persistence, limitations in everyday activities, and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The aim of the study was to compare a three-session manualized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention with normal care for patients with noncardiac chest pain or benign palpitations in a randomized controlled trial. Methods Patients with persistent complaints six months after a negative evaluation at a cardiological outpatient clinic were invited to participate. Of the 94 eligible patients, 40 agreed to participate and were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. Patients in the intervention group received three manualized sessions with CBT, including one physical activity exposure session. The control group received usual care from their general practitioner. Results There were significantly larger improvements in the treatment group regarding fear of bodily sensations, avoidance of physical activity, depression and some domains of HRQOL at the end of treatment, and at three- and 12-month follow-up. A substantial proportion (about three-quarters) of the intervention effects on depression and avoidance of physical activity could be attributed to (was mediated by) the large reduction in catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations. Conclusion A three-session program of manualized CBT, including exposure to physical activity, was effective treatment for patients with noncardiac chest pain and benign palpitations up to the 12-month follow-up.

Background Patients with chest pain or palpitations often have poor outcomes following a negative cardiac evaluation, with symptom persistence, limitations in everyday activities, and reduced health-related quality of life. The aims of this study were to evaluate illness perceptions before and after negative cardiac evaluations and measure the ability of a self-report questionnaire to predict outcomes. Methods Patients (N = 138) referred for chest pain or palpitations to a cardiac outpatient clinic were assessed before and six months after a negative cardiac evaluation. In addition to Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), all patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory and SF-36 Health Survey. Results The emotional reactions to and understanding of symptoms had not improved six months after a negative cardiac evaluation. A stronger correlation between illness perceptions and health at follow-up than before the cardiac evaluation might explain the tendency for poor outcomes among these patients. Most of the eight BIPQ item scores before the negative cardiac evaluation were predictive of the outcome six months later. A single question asking about the perceived consequences of the complaints (BIPQ Item 1) rated before the cardiac evaluation was collapsed into a dichotomous variable with a cut-off at ≥4 which yields a sensitivity of 51%, a specificity of 85%, a positive predictive value of 71%, a negative predictive value of 69%, and an odds ratio of 5.7 (r = .38, p