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Review
. 2022 Jan;43(1):211-217.
doi: 10.1007/s10072-021-05686-1. Epub 2021 Oct 25.

Psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis: a descriptive review of the effects obtained with mindfulness interventions

Marcella Di Cara  1 , Denise Grezzo  1 , Rosanna Palmeri  1 , Viviana Lo Buono  2 , Emanuele Cartella  1 , Katia Micchia  1 , Caterina Formica  1 , Carmela Rifici  1 , Edoardo Sessa  1 , Giangaetano D'Aleo  1 , Giuseppa Maresca  1 , Placido Bramanti  1 , Francesco Corallo  1
Affiliations
Review

Psychological well-being in people with multiple sclerosis: a descriptive review of the effects obtained with mindfulness interventions

Marcella Di Cara et al. Neurol Sci. 2022 Jan.

Erratum in

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is a neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease causing several psychosocial problems that significantly impairs quality of life. The most common physical and mental symptoms are anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue, and pain. Several studies investigated the effectiveness of non-pharmacological approaches in improving psychological well-being. This review focused on the impact of mindfulness interventions in patients with multiple sclerosis to reduce psychopathological symptoms and improve well-being. We searched on PubMed database and screening references of included studies and review articles for additional citations. From initial 107 studies, only 8 met search criteria. Our studies showed the efficacy of mindfulness treatment with a reduction in depressive symptoms, a better quality of life (both mental and physical), and a decreased level of fatigue. Findings demonstrated that mindfulness is useful for the improvement of psychological symptoms and pain management and this improvement has also been shown to have a positive impact on the quality of life and coping and adaptation strategies. However, according to the poor available clinics evidence, on cannot conclude that mindfulness interventions are superior to other active interventions in the treatment of psychological symptoms of SM.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Mindfulness; Multiple sclerosis; Pain; Psychotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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