Group Therapy in Patients with Chronic Renal Disease

Objective: The aim of this study was the management of emotional problems associated with chronic renal disease by using group psychotherapy in hemodialysis patients. Methods: 5 age-and education-matched subjects with emotional problems associated with their disease were included in the study. Group therapy has been conducted as "transactional group image therapy", for 1.5 hours, once a week, for a total of 11 sessions. Results: It was observed that the patients in the group therapy were going through either one or more stages of "denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance". The stages were taken into consideration and the patients examined their own feelings and were able to talk about their disease. It was observed that the patients started to be able to cope with difficulties faced in daily life due to the disease, and that the compliance with treatment and their quality of life increased. As a result, it can be concluded that group psychotherapy was effective for patients with chronic renal disease in solving their emotional problems. Conclusion: It should be considered that enabling the widespread use of group therapy and conducting the therapy process with a longer duration would help these patients to cope with their disease easier. We assume that a structured scale would be a helpful tool in future studies on the effectiveness of group psychotherapy. (Archives xx Neuropsychiatry 2012;49: 63-7)