Dyspnea or breathlessness is a term primarily used in respiratory medicine. Nevertheless, in the last fifteen years, studies from other fields focus on the affective component of this complex phenomenon due to the frequent observation that psychological states can cause or be caused by dyspnea. Research so far shows that besides the biological component, dyspnea has a strong emotional and psychosocial determinant. This means that apart from its biological factors, dyspnea and its intensity are affected by emotions, personality, anxiety and depression, etc. Individuals with psychiatric disorders, in the same conditions, will evaluate their dyspnea as more intense and disturbing compared to individuals without psychiatric comorbidity. Emotional states in healthy individuals can amplify the sense of dyspnea which is of extreme importance for clinical practice in order to consider the whole person and not just the symptom which is being presented. Also, dyspnea seems to be frequent complaint in some groups of patients with psychiatric disorders (e.g.panic disorder), where the fear of suffocation is presented as clinical symptom. Futher research of dyspnea as a complex, multicomponent phenomenon, can contribute to better treatment options and better differential diagnosis concerning possible psychiatric background of physical symptoms.
Background. Holistic scope in treating persons with chronic respiratory diseases is one of the main features of pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) at Zagreb University. Interventions are provided by a team made of physicians and other health care professionals - physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, behavioral specialists, among others. The program itself is tailored to attend to each person's specific needs through careful interdisciplinary examination and treatment planning, establishing commom ground to address disease severity, respiratory symptoms, comorbidities, psychological manifestations and specific limitations a person has in everyday activities. The focus of PRP is the whole person rather than just a person's disease.Aim. To show the impact of PRP's person-centered approach on patient's quality of life (QoL), anxiety, depression and stress levels.Method. Questionnaires designed to measure quality of life (single question scale), anxiety, depression and stress (DASS21) were administred to 54 patients at the beginning and at the end of a three-week pulmonary rehabilitation program. Each patient underwent an individualized program of education, respiratory exercises, nutrition consultation, and psychosocial/behavioral support and intervention.Results. Results showed significant improvement in all measured parameters – higher overall QoL (p<0.01), and lowered anxiety (p< 0.01), depression (p<0.01) and stress levels (p< 0.01).Conclusions. Pulmonary rehabilitation with a person-centered approach as one of its main features appears to improve quality of life and reduce levels of anxiety, depression and stress in persons with chronic respiratory diseases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.