Comparison of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Duloxetine Treatment Outcomes in Women Patients with Somatic Symptom Disorder

Abstract

Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is a debilitating disorder that significantly diminishes quality of life and causes psychological distress such as anxiety and depression. The paper explored the efficiency of the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in SSD. The current investigation is a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of eye movement desensitization (EMDR) therapy in the treatment of 31 first-diagnosed SSD patients in comparison to age, education and marital status matched 31-first-diagnosed SSD patients who received duloxetine over a 6-week course of treatment. Somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist-Revised 90 (SCL-90), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were administered to the participants. EMDR group showed enhanced improvement relative to baseline after 6 weeks of treatment compared to duloxetine group. We concluded that EMDR appears to be a highly promising therapy and should be considered among the first-line interventions in the treatment of SSD.