Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Time for research on psychological intervention?

Abstract

The literature on psychological aspects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has explored quality of life, depression, anxiety, spirituality, hopelessness, and other constructs in an attempt to understand the patient's grief and other psychological responses to the disease. However, there is a lack of research on the efficacy of psychological interventions. We believe it is important to develop ‘best practices’ for the improvement of quality of life and the reduction of psychological distress related to ALS.

Key words::

• Quality of life
• psychological research
• clinical psychology
• psychological intervention
• psychotherapy

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.