A Mind-Body Approach for the Treatment of Dysmenorrhea
摘要
Dysmenorrhea—pain during menstruation—is a cyclical pain condition and the most common gynecological complaint among reproductive-age women. This chapter will review current treatment approaches, specifically focusing on non-pharmacological interventions, and consider how maladaptive thought processes, such as pain catastrophizing, relate to dysmenorrhea-related pain and disability. The chapter will then provide a guide for implementing a mind-body intervention focused on decreasing symptoms of dysmenorrhea and dysmenorrhea-related impairment and increasing quality of life. Specifically, tools including psychoeducation, mindfulness, de-catastrophizing, and coping skills will be introduced and demonstrated using a case example. Lastly, the chapter will describe how the intervention can be modified for administration as a group treatment and the benefits gained by using this format.