title: Cognitive-behavioural group treatment for a range of functional somatic syndromes: randomised trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many specialty-specific functional somatic syndrome diagnoses exist to describe people who are experiencing so-called medically unexplained symptoms. Although cognitive-behavioural therapy can be effective in the management of such syndromes, it is rarely available. A cognitive-behavioural therapy suitable for group treatment of people with different functional somatic syndromes could address this problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioural therapy (Specialised Treatment for Severe Bodily Distress Syndromes, STreSS) designed for patients with a range of severe functional somatic syndromes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomised controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00132197) compared STreSS (nine 3.5 h sessions over 4 months, n = 54) with enhanced usual care (management by primary care physician or medical specialist, n = 66). The primary outcome was improvement in aggregate score on subscales of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (physical functioning, bodily pain and vitality) at 16 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants receiving STreSS had a greater improvement on the primary outcome (adjusted mean difference 4.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.6, P = 0.002) and on most secondary outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the management of functional somatic syndromes, a cognitive-behavioural group treatment was more effective than enhanced usual care.
authors.affiliation: Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. andreas.schroeder@aarhus.rm.dk
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schröder
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rehfeld
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ornbøl
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.forename: Rasmus W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Licht
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fink
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome