Management of Pain in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

This study examined the benefits of two treatments, individually and together, for helping individuals with MS manage their pain. We conducted a time series design in which MS subjects received all four treatment conditions in two orders (randomly assigned): (1) Control (education intervention-CONT),Self-Hypnosis Training (HYP), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), HYP-CBT(a combination of HYP and CBT) and (2) CONT, CBT, HYP, HYP-CBT. Subjects attended 16 60-minute treatment sessions conducted by one of the study's psychologists either at the UW,HMC or in the subject's home. Each subject received four treatment sessions of each treatment module listed above. Primary outcome measures were collected via the telephone and mail by research personnel blind to the treatment condition before treatment, immediately after treatment ends and one month after treatment ends. Secondary outcome measures were collected at the same assessment points via pencil and paper interviews completed by subjects.