Psychological counseling, which focuses on teaching people who live with arthritis how to cope with pain, may result in less disability and better quality of life. Chronic pain and lost mobility associated with arthritis can interfere with performing daily tasks and participating in leisure activities. The disease can lead to depression and isolation.

According to researchers, counseling can benefit arthritis patients long-term. Researchers analyzed 27 randomized controlled studies to see how psychosocial interventions (the interaction between social and psychological factors) affected pain. The studies involved 3,409 patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

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The review, in the May 2007 issue of Health Psychology, concluded that counseling and coping skills made a big difference in quality of life measures. Patients who received counseling reported significantly less anxiety, depression, and psychological disability as well as less physical disability and joint swelling. No difference was reported with regard to fatigue or stiffness. Reduction in pain was not "statistically significant", but the goal of counseling was to help patients live better with pain, not to take the place of standard medical treatment geared towards reducing pain.

More Related Resources:

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