Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Based on the Pain Sustainment/Exacerbation Model in Patients With Tension-Type Headache: A Pilot Study

Abstract

: The purpose of this study was to carry out a program of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) based on the pain sustainment/exacerbation model for tension -type headache (TTH) patients and to examine the effectiveness as a pilot study. The participants were 4 TTH patients who consulted the outpatient clinic of a university hospital. It consisted of 4 individualized sessions as CBT program (including psychological education, self -monitoring, relaxation technique, cognitive restricting and exposure), and a follow -up examination was carried out 1 month after its completion. The sessions, each of which was 60 minutes long, were executed at weekly intervals. As a result, the score of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) decreased after program compared with before program in all patients. The score of escape/avoidance was also reduced at the post -program and follow -up (1 month later) compared with the score of pre -program in patients except Case 2, in whom the score was 0 throughout the study. The degree of the Headache Impact Test (HIT -6) improved by program and changed to "mild" or "none" in all participants. These findings show that in patients with TTH this short CBT program has effect on pain catastrophizing, escape/avoidance and daily disability.

A Case Report of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for a Japanese Female Patient Suffering from Migraine

“…While these approaches are introduced in many treatment manuals written in the West (Otis, 2009), little has been introduced targeting Japanese patients. To date, there has been only one report about nonpharmacological treatment for chronic migraine in Japan, which was a small pilot study with no psychiatric comorbidity (Motoya et al, 2014).…”