Psychological interventions for non-ulcer dyspepsia.
BACKGROUND
Studies have also shown that NUD patients have higher scores of anxiety, depression, neurotism, chronic tension, hostility, hypochondriasis, and tendency to be more pessimistic when compared with the community controls.


OBJECTIVE
This review aims to determine the effectiveness of psychological interventions including psychotherapy, psychodrama, cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation therapy, guided imagery or hypnosis in the improvement of either individual or global dyspepsia symptom scores and also quality of life scores patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD).


METHODS
Trials were located through electronic searches of the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycLIT, using appropriate subject headings and text words and searching bibliographies of retrieved articles.


METHODS
All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-randomised studies assessing the effectiveness of psychological interventions (including psychotherapy, psychodrama, cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation therapy, guided imagery or hypnosis) for non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD).


METHODS
Data were collected on individual, global dyspepsia symptom scores, as well as measures of quality of life (QoL) scores and adverse effects.


RESULTS
The three trials identified showed that there was improvement in the dyspepsia symptom scores at the end of treatment and one trial showed improvement in the psychological parameters. However, meta-analysis was not possible as these trials used different psychological interventions and two of the trials only reported mean change in symptoms and did not give standard deviations of this change.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychological intervention in the form of psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy may be useful in the treatment of NUD. However, we need more trials to assess dyspepsia symptom scores and also psychological intervention in order to give us a clearer picture of the role of psychological intervention in NUD.
Soo
S
S
Gastroenterology Unit, Centre for Digestive Diseases, The General Infirmary at Leeds, Great George Street, Leeds, UK, LS1 3EX.
Moayyedi
P
P
Deeks
J
J
Delaney
B
B
Lewis
M
M
Forman
D
D
D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic