Verdurmen MJH, et al. - This prospective pilot study was performed to investigate the feasibility of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in the elderly. The clinicians demonstrated that in older adults, CBT was feasible as a treatment for SSD and had encouraging results. Replication in an RCT was warranted.

• The clinicians performed a prospective pilot study comparing 2 outpatient specialty mental health settings for adults (<60 years; n=13) and for elderly patients (≥60 years; n=9) with SSD.
• In this study, the intervention was 18 structured, protocoled, and supervised CBT sessions.
• Somatic symptoms, pain intensity, pain disability, quality of life, depressive symptoms, and generalized anxiety symptoms were the outcomes.
• They explored feasibility of the CBT intervention with self-developed questions, both for the therapists and the patients.

• In this study, both therapists and elderly patients assessed the treatment as positive.
• In the adult group, somatic symptoms improved significantly but not in the elderly group.
• In elderly patients, there was a large, significant decrease in pain intensity and pain disability compared to the adults.
• In the adults, social functioning, vitality, and anxiety symptoms improved significantly.
• These results were not influenced by the presence of chronic medical conditions.