Coping with the disfiguring effects of vitiligo: A preliminary investigation into the effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy

Vitiligo is a progressive condition involving a loss of pigmentation in the skin; it fan be disfiguring and no effective treatment or cure exists. Alt hough vitiligo's medical effects have been studied extensively, little atte ntion has been paid to its psychological impact or to the effects of psycho logical state on the illness itself. To address these issues, the present s tudy examined the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy on coping with vi tiligo and adaptation to the negative effects on body image, quality of lif e and self-esteem in adult patients. The study also examined whether any ps ychological gains acquired from psychological therapy would influence the p rogression of the condition itself Two marched groups of vitiligo patients were compared, one of which received cognitive-behavioural therapy over a p eriod of 8 weeks, while the other received no changes to their treatment st atus. All patients were assessed on self-esteem, body image and quality of life, prior to, immediately following and 5 months following the end of the rapy. The progression of the condition was assessed by photographing patien ts prior to the start of counselling and 5 months following counselling. Re sults suggest that patients can benefit from cognitive-behavioural therapy in terms of coping and living with vitiligo. There is also preliminary evid ence to suggest that psychological therapy may have a positive effect on th e progression of the condition itself. Implications for incorporating psych ological counselling into patient care and management are discussed.