Psychological approach in headache patients with pain medication misuse in an outpatient center for drug treatment in Barcelona

Introduction Pain medication misuse is commonly found in patients under headache treatment and may produce co-morbid anxiety and depressive symptomatology. Management of this issue requires a comprehensive and integrative treatment including psychotherapy. Group interventions have been scarcely studied in addictive disorders, those interventions aims to decrease drug misuse and improve related psychiatric symptoms. Aim To study the efficacy of group interventions base on cognitive-behavior approach in patients with pain medication misuse. Method Patients with pain medication misuse were included and were evaluated with BDI, STAI, SF36 and HIT scales (basal and at the end of treatment sessions). Patients were recruited from headache outpatient unit. Twelve sessions of one hour were performed with a cognitive-behavior approach (weekly). Results We present preliminary results about the efficacy of group interventions in patients with pain medication misuse. Descriptive results pre- and post- treatment were analyzed in depressive symptoms (M = 20.14, SD = 12.25; M = 14.67, SD = 19.50) and in areas of quality of life: physical functioning (M = 48.75, SD = 31.13; M = 60.50, SD = 41.68), bodily pain (M = 12, SD = 9.25; M = 42.75, SD = 34.09), general health perceptions (M = 25.75, SD = 16.96; M = 44.25, SD = 22.33), vitality (M = 33.75, SD = 13.82; M = 48, SD = 34.82). Conclusions Pain medication misuse is commonly found in chronic headache patients, consequently worst outcomes for both pathologies. Group interventions may be useful in management of pain, anxiety and other co-morbidities. Furthermore, it may favor drug use decrease and even abstinence.