Exhaustion disorder in primary care: investigation of diagnostic characteristics and scalable internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy

Purpose and aims Although exhaustion disorder (ED) is one of the most common and costly mental disorders in Swedish primary care, the validity of the ED-diagnosis is insufficiently studied and access to evidence-based psychological treatment is low.

The overall purpose of the research project, which comprises two studies, is to increase knowledge about ED as a diagnostic entity and how it can be effectively treated in primary care.

The specific aims of the project are to: (I) delineate a coherent and informative set of clinical characteristics of ED, and (II) investigate if internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) is effective in reducing stress symptoms and work disability in a randomized controlled trial (Study II).

Methods In Study I, a national online survey will be distributed both to afflicted individuals and to clinicians working with ED patients. Content analysis will be used to analyze the qualitative data.

Associations between demographic variables, symptom domains, and mean scores on self-report questionnaires measuring psychiatric symptoms will be explored.

Study II is a randomized controlled trial of ICBT where adult patients with ED (N=450) will included and assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at 1- and 2-year follow-ups.

Significance This project contributes to a much needed systematic scientific approach to delineate a set of clinical attributions of ED, and to building an evidence-base for ICBT adapted for primary care patients with ED.