The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet has an
article today about the study with enthusiastic comments from Ingrid Helland from the National Competence Service for CFS/ME and Henrik Vogt.
The article is paywalled, but here are a few google translated quotes:
According to the study, there is no evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy contributes to the worsening of the condition in patients with mild to moderate CFS / ME.
- CFS / ME is a disease with a fluctuating course, and it cannot be ruled out that a possible deterioration reflects a natural variation in the course of the disease. However, it is important to be aware that treatment that is not well enough adapted can lead to worsening, and patients with CFS / ME are particularly vulnerable to this, says Eide Gotaas.
...
- We used the so-called Fukuda criteria, because they have been developed specifically with research in mind. Some time into the project, we also began to evaluate patients against the Canada criteria, says Eide Gotaas.
The Canada criteria have been developed for clinical use and describe specific symptoms, to a greater extent than the Fukuda criteria and are also considered to be stricter. The researchers wanted to use two sets of criteria, to investigate whether there could be differences between patients diagnosed based on the Fukuda criteria and the Canada criteria.
- We found no differences between the patients who met only the Fukuda criteria and patients who met both sets of criteria, says Eide Gotaas.
...
This is how the treatments went
The two treatments that were investigated in the study at NTNU are both forms of cognitive behavioral therapy. The difference is the number of treatment hours. Standard / long CBT takes place over 16 treatment hours, while short / I-CBT takes place over eight treatment hours.
Standard / long CBT: The treatment was developed in collaboration with Professor Trudie Chalder at Kings College London. The treatment is based on a biopsychosocial CBT model. It involves a planned and graded approach to activity based on the patient's prerequisites, which is especially important for patients with ME. A biopsychosocial model assumes that one sees the body as a whole, where emotions, thoughts, biology and environment influence each other. The biopsychosocial approach is common and accepted in most disciplines in medicine where relevant.
Short I-CBT: The treatment was developed by professor of psychology, Tore Charles Stiles. As standard CBT in several studies has shown limited effect, he developed a shorter interpersonally oriented CBT. Interpersonal therapy is a treatment method, which aims to help patients cope with interpersonal difficulties. This treatment is also based on a biopsychosocial model. The purpose of designing a shorter course of therapy was also to make the treatment more accessible and affordable for a group of patients with a low level of function. In this treatment, graded activity increase is not an element. The goal is still to resume activity.
Source: Merethe Eide Gotaas
It sounds like a made-up word meant to mean "show, indicate, imply"? Is this the journalists' version of weasel words, or maybe an intern writing her first article..? (Sorry.)
