Psychotherapy for Chronic Dizziness: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Chronic dizziness significantly impacts quality of life (QoL).
• Psychotherapy is a crucial intervention for chronic dizziness, complementing physical therapies.
• The evidence base for psychotherapy in diverse dizziness disorders requires comprehensive mapping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of research on psychotherapeutic interventions for chronic dizziness.
• To map the utilization, intervention methods, and evaluation measures of psychotherapy for chronic dizziness.
• To identify research gaps in the current evidence base.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of PubMed and CiNii Research databases.
• Included studies published in English or Japanese up to September 30, 2023.
• Analysis of 23 peer-reviewed articles describing psychotherapy for chronic dizziness (≥3 months duration).

Main Results:

• The evidence base is largely developmental, with most studies being small-scale case studies (43.5%).
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was the predominant technique (69.6%), typically delivered individually.
• Outcome measures were diverse and non-standardized, assessing symptoms, psychological state, QoL, and physical function.

Conclusions:

• Psychotherapy appears promising for chronic dizziness symptom improvement.
• Key limitations include a lack of high-quality evidence, focus on adults, and diverse outcome measures.
• Future research should prioritize large-scale Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) with standardized outcome measures.