Publications by authors named "Ljotsson B"

Background: Brain-gut behaviour therapies (BGBT) have gained widespread acceptance as therapeutic modalities for the management of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). However, existing treatment evaluation methods in the medical field fail to capture the specific elements of scientific rigour unique to behavioural trial evaluation.

Aims: To offer the first consensus on the development and testing of BGBT in DGBI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Clinician-guided online self-help based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective at decreasing symptom severity for people with atopic dermatitis (AD). A brief online self-guided CBT intervention could be more cost-effective and allow for easy implementation and broader outreach compared with more comprehensive clinician-guided interventions.

Objective: To investigate whether a brief online self-guided CBT intervention is noninferior to a comprehensive online clinician-guided CBT treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A recent study found that cognitive behavioral therapy for symptom preoccupation related to paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF-CBT) improved quality of life but its effects on physiological factors like heart rate variability (HRV), physical activity, and sleep were unclear.
  • In the study, 127 patients were divided into two groups, one receiving AF-CBT and the other AF education for 10 weeks, with assessments conducted before, after treatment, and at three months.
  • Results showed that while AF-CBT significantly reduced insomnia severity, it did not affect heart rate variability, physical activity levels, or overall sleep duration, suggesting the therapy's benefits may be more psychological than physiological.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and debilitating disorder. When dietary and pharmacological interventions are not satisfactory, psychological treatment may produce good results. However, the access to such treatment is scarce, and therefore, it is of importance to make use of technical solutions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses minority stress to improve sexual minority individuals' mental and behavioral health. This treatment has never been tested in high-stigma contexts like China using online delivery.

Method: Chinese young sexual minority men (n = 120; ages 16-30; HIV-negative; reporting depression and/or anxiety symptoms and past-90-day HIV-transmission-risk behavior), were randomized to receive 10 sessions of culturally adapted asynchronous LGBTQ-affirmative internet-based CBT (ICBT) or weekly assessments only.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are a common cardiac condition often associated with disabling symptoms and impaired quality of life (QoL). Current treatment strategies have limited effectiveness in reducing symptoms and restoring QoL for patients with PVCs. Symptom preoccupation, involving cardiac-related fear, hypervigilance, and avoidance behavior, is associated with disability in other cardiac conditions and can be effectively targeted by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition associated with substantial suffering and societal costs. Traditional cognitive behavior therapy (T-CBT) is the most evaluated psychological treatment, but exposure therapy (Exp-CBT) has shown promise with a pronounced focus on the reduction of pain-related avoidance behaviors. In a recent randomized controlled trial (N = 274), we found that Exp-CBT was not superior to T-CBT (d = -0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Few studies have evaluated the implementation of ICBT in regular child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). This study aimed to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of ICBT for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) within a rural CAMHS. The study also explored outcome predictors and long-term outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be administered clinically to individuals and in group settings. More recently, CBT has been administered successfully via the internet (ICBT). We provide a concept aiming at further developing ICBT in a self-care format.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by diarrhea or constipation and other symptoms such as pain, bloating, and flatulence. The disease often has a negative effect on quality of life and is also associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Pharmacological treatments are not always effective, and complementary and alternative treatments are common.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) targets three motivations: sensory sensitivity, lack of interest/low appetite, and fear of aversive consequences, using specific modular interventions for each.
  • In a study with 42 participants aged 10-55, significant correlations were found between decreases in these mechanisms and reductions in ARFID severity, with notable weekly improvements observed across the board.
  • Results indicated that participants receiving the sensory and fear modules experienced greater improvements than those who did not, while lack of interest/low appetite showed potential for improvement regardless of module participation, suggesting the need for future studies to further explore treatment effectiveness and measurement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The study included 274 participants, who underwent either Exp-CBT or T-CBT online over 10 weeks and were evaluated regularly to assess changes in fibromyalgia severity.
  • * Results showed no significant difference in pain reduction between Exp-CBT and T-CBT, indicating both are effective, but T-CBT remains a standard reference treatment for this condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new study looked at a short training program to help stressed workers feel better.
  • The early results showed that workers from different jobs can learn ways to recover, lower stress, and have a better life.
  • This kind of easy-to-use training could help prevent stress at work in the future, but more studies are needed to find out for sure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The measurement of process variables derived from cognitive behavioural theory can aid treatment development and support the clinician in following treatment progress. Self-report process measures are ideally brief, which reduces the burden on patients and facilitates the implementation of repeated measurements.

Aims: To develop 13 brief versions (3-6 items) of existing cognitive behavioural process scales for three common mental disorders: major depression, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Online treatments are increasing in number and are currently available for a wide range of clinical problems. To date little is known about the role of treatment expectations and other placebo-like mechanisms in online settings compared to traditional face-to-face treatment. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed individual participant data from randomized clinical trials that compared online and face-to-face psychological interventions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Backgrounds And Aims: Reports on cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between health-related quality of life (HRQoL), psychological distress, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the adolescent and young adult general population are few. We aimed to describe cross-sectional associations between HRQoL and IBS in adolescence and young adulthood, and examine bidirectional gut-brain interactions in the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Methods: We included 3391 subjects from a prospective birth cohort study, with data on IBS at 16 years of age and 24 years of age.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) symptoms are common (up to 40%) among adults with functional dyspepsia (FD), a disorder of gut-brain interaction characterized by early satiation, post-prandial fullness, epigastric pain, and/or epigastric burning. Using an 8-session exposure-based cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for adults with FD + ARFID compared to usual care (UC) alone, we aim to: (1) determine feasibility, (2) evaluate change in clinical outcomes in, and (3) explore possible mechanisms of action.

Methods: We will randomize adults with FD who meet criteria for ARFID with ≥5% weight loss (N = 50) in a 1:1 ratio to CBT (with continued UC) or to UC alone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: LGBTQ-affirmative cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses the adverse impacts of minority stress. However, this treatment has rarely been tested in randomized controlled trials with LGBTQ youth and never using an asynchronous online platform for broad reach. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, preliminary efficacy, and multi-level stigma moderators of LGBTQ-affirmative internet-based CBT (ICBT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Previous lab findings have indicated that excessive worry may impair cognitive performance and problem solving capabilities but it is unclear if excessive worry also leads to broader impairments in general functioning. We report a secondary process data analysis of a large randomized waitlist-controlled trial (N = 670) of a self-guided online psychological intervention for dysfunctional worry related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Specific aims were to investigate (1) if improvements in general functioning were mediated by reductions in worry related to Covid-19 during the acute intervention phase, and (2) if reduced worry related to Covid-19 during acute intervention phase had a positive long-term impact on general functioning up to 1 year after the end of the intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease characterized by dry skin, eczematous lesions, and an often severe pruritus. The disease may have a negative effect on quality of life and is also associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Few individuals with AD receive any form of behavioral intervention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often associated with troubling symptoms leading to impaired quality of life (QoL) and high health care use. Symptom preoccupation, that is, fear of cardiac-related symptoms and avoidance behavior, potentially contributes to disability in AF but is not targeted by current interventions.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the effect of online cognitive behavior therapy (AF-CBT) on QoL in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A wide range of psychological treatments have been found to reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but their relative effects are unclear. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we determined the effects of psychological treatments for IBS, including subtypes of cognitive behavior therapy, versus attention controls. We searched 11 databases (March 2022) for studies of psychological treatments for IBS, reported in journal articles, books, dissertations, and conference abstracts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF