Sustained improvement with mindfulness-based therapy for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, 2022, Baslet, Ridlon, Raynor, Gonsalvez and Dworetzky

Highlights

• Follow-up after mindfulness-based therapy for PNES conducted at 3–6 months.
• Fourteen (54%) of 26 patients attended follow-up.
• PNES frequency, intensity, and days per week with PNES remained improved.
• Illness perception, worry, and feeling understood improved over the course of MBT.

Abstract

Background
We previously reported on the efficacy of a manualized 12-session mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Completion of MBT provided improvements in weekly PNES frequency and self-rated intensity.

Objectives
In this study, we aimed to determine sustainability of improvement of seizure-related measures at 3- to 6-month follow-up after treatment completion. We also examined changes at treatment end and at follow-up on therapeutic targets of the MBT program.

Methods
Patients with documented PNES were recruited from 2014 to 2018. Baseline measures were collected at time of diagnosis (T0) and at first follow-up post-diagnosis (T1). Outcomes are reported at MBT treatment completion (T3) and 3- to 6-month follow-up (T4). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for pair-wise comparisons of PNES frequency; linear mixed models were used for other outcomes.

Results
Fourteen of the 26 MBT completers (54%) attended follow-up (median 147.5 days between T3 and T4). PNES frequency, intensity, and number of days/week with PNES remained reduced at T4 (p < 0.01 for all; median frequency reduction 1.3/week from T1). Illness perception and feeling understood remained improved at T4 (p < 0.001 for both) as did worry about PNES (p < 0.05). Illness attribution (physical, mental or both) changed from T0 to T3 (p < 0.01), but not to T4. Psychological flexibility did not change over time.

Conclusion
Previously reported improvements in seizure-related measures with MBT at treatment conclusion were maintained at 3- to 6-month follow-up. There were sustained improvements in some underlying processes (illness perception, feeling understood, and symptom worry) over the course of treatment and at follow-up. Long-term benefits of MBT need to be established with randomized controlled trials.

Paywall, https://www.epilepsybehavior.com/article/S1525-5050(21)00739-3/fulltext

 

This is a follow-up to this study, Mindfulness-based therapy for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, 2019, Baslet, Ehlert, Oser and Dworetzky

 

So is just me or there has been an explosion of those papers recently? The number published in just the last few weeks is ridiculous. It's like the BPS trolley has accelerated its pace.

Is it just because they're posted more? And it's hard to tell how many are unique since they're so nearly identical to one another.