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Effects of Neurofeedback on Adult Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in a Naturalistic Setting

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Abstract

Few well-controlled studies have considered neurofeedback treatment in adult psychiatric patients. In this regard, the present study investigates the characteristics and effects of neurofeedback on adult psychiatric patients in a naturalistic setting. A total of 77 adult patients with psychiatric disorders participated in this study. Demographic data and neurofeedback states were retrospectively analyzed, and the effects of neurofeedback were evaluated using clinical global impression (CGI) and subjective self-rating scales. Depressive disorders were the most common psychiatric disorders (19; 24.7 %), followed by anxiety disorders (18; 23.4 %). A total of 69 patients (89.6 %) took medicine, and the average frequency of neurofeedback was 17.39 ± 16.64. Neurofeedback was applied to a total of 39 patients (50.6 %) more than 10 times, and 48 patients (62.3 %) received both β/SMR and α/θ training. The discontinuation rate was 33.8 % (26 patients). There was significant difference between pretreatment and posttreatment CGI scores (<.001), and the self-rating scale also showed significant differences in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and inattention (<.001). This is a naturalistic study in a clinical setting, and has several limitations, including the absence of a control group and a heterogenous sample. Despite these limitations, the study demonstrates the potential of neurofeedback as an effective complimentary treatment for adult patients with psychiatric disorders.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the 2011 Yeungnam University Research Grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, 317-1, Daemyeong 5-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea

    Eun-Jin Cheon, Bon-Hoon Koo & Wan-Seok Seo

  2. Department of Psychiatry, CHA Gumi Medical Center, CHA University, Gumi, Republic of Korea

    Jun-Yeob Lee

  3. Department of Psychology, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea

    Joong-Hyeon Choi

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Daedong Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea

    Shin-Ho Song

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  1. Eun-Jin Cheon
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  2. Bon-Hoon Koo
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  5. Joong-Hyeon Choi
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Correspondence to Bon-Hoon Koo.

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Cheon, EJ., Koo, BH., Seo, WS. et al. Effects of Neurofeedback on Adult Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in a Naturalistic Setting. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 40, 17–24 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9269-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-015-9269-x

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