One in every two people with COPD also experiences anxiety or depression. Having anxiety and depression affects quality of life, makes it harder to breathe, and increases the likelihood for hospitalization with a COPD flare. However, effective treatments exist for anxiety and depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one such treatment, but it is difficult to access for two reasons. First, there are not enough trained therapists in the United States; and second, attending regular appointments can be challenging when managing a chronic illness. Therefore, our goal is to modify an existing CBT-based phone app for people with COPD. This will mean that people with COPD who also have anxiety or depression will be able to learn and practice CBT skills in the comfort of their own homes, when they want, and as often as they want. We hope this will result in fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as improved COPD outcomes.
Update: In our ongoing American Lung Association-funded work, we have been adapting an existing, effective coping skills intervention (cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT) that is entirely automated, self-directed and app-based, so patients can access it when they want, as often as they want and in the comfort of their own homes. This has removed an access-to-care barrier for patients. We spoke to several patients with lung diseases who found the content of the intervention appropriate for use among people with lung diseases in outpatient settings. Their key recommendation was embedding the intervention in pulmonary rehabilitation programs, where it would complement education and physical training. In the next and final year of our work, we will pilot test the intervention in the Duke pulmonary rehabilitation clinic to determine whether the intervention is acceptable, feasible to implement and shows early signs of being effective.
