Fibromyalgia poses challenges extending beyond physical symptoms due to societal misconceptions and inadequate understanding. Clinicians emphasize the importance of addressing mental health, engaging patients actively, and creating supportive environments to improve the wellbeing of these patients.
Patients living with fibromyalgia (FM) – a disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and brain fog – often find limited treatment options and a scarcity of explanations for their symptoms. Research led by Mass General Brigham investigators has found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can significantly reduce the burden of FM by, in part, reducing pain-catastrophizing, a negative cognitive and emotional response that can intensify pain through feelings of helplessness, rumination and intrusive thoughts. This finding is backed by neuroimaging data, evidencing reduced connectivity between regions of the brain associated with self-awareness, pain and emotional processing. Results are published on September 20 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Alleviates Fibromyalgia Brain Pain miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.