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7 papers
This representative German survey of 1,287 people (ages 14–90) found that 15.8% reported dizziness. Of those with dizziness, 28.3% had symptoms of at least one anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety, social phobia, or panic). People with dizziness also reported more physical health problems, and when anxiety was present they used more…
This randomized, controlled trial tested a brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for 41 patients with chronic subjective dizziness. The program was three weekly sessions led by a clinical psychologist and used psychoeducation, behavioral experiments, exposure, and attention refocusing. After treatment, patients showed large, significant reductions in dizziness-related disability, physical…
This cross-sectional study measured 130 adults (52 men, 78 women; ages 18–75) with dizziness from four causes: BPPV, Meniere’s disease, unilateral weakness, and central causes. Researchers used the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) to measure disability and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to measure anxiety. They found no significant differences in…
This meta-analysis looked at six randomized trials and found that adding cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to usual treatments for persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) was linked with greater short-term improvement in dizziness, anxiety, and depression scores than usual treatment alone. The review pooled results from studies found between January 2002 and…
This paper describes a 23-year-old woman whose recurring dizziness was linked to panic attacks and agoraphobia and who got better after medicine and therapy. The authors review studies showing that many people who complain of dizziness have anxiety or panic disorders, that routine ear and balance tests can be normal,…
This meta-analysis combined 85 studies with 764,403 adults to estimate how common anxiety and depression are in people with vestibular disorders. It found higher rates of anxiety (31.4% vs. 8.3%) and depression (28.3% vs. 4.7%) in people with vestibular problems than in controls. The pooled relative risks were higher for…
This scoping review looked at research on psychotherapy for people with chronic dizziness (lasting 3 months or more). The authors screened 644 records and included 23 studies. Most studies were small case reports and used different outcome measures, but many used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and commonly reported improvements. The…
