Psychological Characteristics of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Relevance. Metabolic syndrome (MS), which encompasses a combination of non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia, causes patients to experience, among other things, psychoemotional stress due to the presence of vital fears and changes in the quality of life. Patients with metabolic syndrome complain not only of a somatic nature (shortness of breath, headaches, decreased exercise tolerance, unstable blood pressure, etc.) but also of a psychological profile, most of them are in a state of chronic stress, which generates emotional–affective and psychovegetative disorders.

Intention. To identify the psychological characteristics of patients with metabolic syndrome in order to improve the effectiveness of the developed programs in the process of treatment of methods of psychological correction and physical therapy.

Materials and methods. The study conducted on the basis of the private multidisciplinary clinic “SANAVITA Medical Center” involved 32 people, 8 men and 24 women aged 40 to 60 years with a confirmed diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. The psychological state of people with this diagnosis was assessed to determine the expediency of additional use of psychological correction methods in the course of therapy and rehabilitation. The study sample was divided into 2 groups. With participants in the group 1 including 16 people in addition to the therapeutic effects performed on the participants in the group 2 (16 people), psychotherapeutic effects were performed using the method of Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.

Results. The average profile of the components of the response to the disease of the study participants demonstrates the predominance among respondents of denial of the disease, “withdrawal” to work, as well as a harmonious attitude to the disease, readiness for treatment. There is a predominance of the “adaptive” disease response unit in the sample (50 % of the study sample). At the same time, 21.88 % of respondents belong to diffuse type 2, which includes apathy, anxiety, melancholia, hypochondria, sensitivity, egocentrism, paranoia and dysphoria. 9.38 % of the sample have diffuse type 1 and interpsychic types of response to the disease, including anxious, hypochondriac, neurasthenic, melancholic and apathetic response components. High scores on the scales of anxiety and depression were determined in patients before psychological correction in both groups. After conducting a group short-term psychocorrection program, it was found that among the patients of the group undergoing the psychocorrection program, after its completion, the level of depression and anxiety significantly decreased. In the group 2, changes in the values of the studied indicators were less pronounced.

Conclusion. The additional implementation of a short-term psychocorrective program using the method of Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy helps to optimize treatment and rehabilitation measures for patients, and the tactics of introducing this program into the rehabilitation process should be considered justified.