2018 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 49-56
One of the most marked features of asthmatic patients may be that they repeat two opposing stages of asthmatic state, that is, asthmatic attack and non-attack. When they have an attack, they fall into the state of dependence, both physically and psychologically. On the other hand, they get into the state of independence during the non-attack period. We usually treat their attack promptly, which means fulfilling their dependence. Besides, we contribute to the improvement of their adherence or inhalation therapy during the period of non-attack, implying to aim for their independence. Therefore, I emphasize my contention that careful medical examinations and treatments could be directly connected with psychotherapy, namely aiming to deal with the problems of dependence and independence for asthmatic patients.
Finally, recently many reports have revealed that some psychiatric disorders, depression or panic disorder etc., involve complication of asthma significantly. Given the mechanism of relationship between classical psychosomatic aspect as stress-induced asthmatic attack and the increase of asthmatic morbidity in some psychiatric disorders is not illuminated, I would like to hope that researchers of the next generation will resolve those mechanisms. Those are two of my messages for the coming psychosomatic researchers.
