Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and treatment of Pediatric patients with chronic renal disease

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention with CBT in patients with chronic renal disease. The study findings are in the context of previous researches and existing theories. Searches were done in the professional literature related to different chronic diseases and respectively with Chronic Kidney Disease in children and adolescents. Many pediatric chronic diseases are difficult to be managed because of the limitations caused by the disease itself, consequently some of them need to be subjected to painful and difficult medical procedures as well. Respectively, for children diagnosed with CKD life changes completely because of limitations, mainly physical ones, due to the characteristics of the disease which require constant adaption as well as development of strategies to face the disease. Their behaviors must change accordingly as part of a new life of self-care. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a psychological therapy, which has been investigated extensively and has been found as very effective to reduce psychological symptoms caused by the disease. This therapy integrates the modification of behavior with the cognitive restructuring, the aim of which is to change the patient’s unhealthy behaviors through cognitive and behavior techniques.