Non-drug technologies in the correction of post-stress disorders

Objective. To analyze effectiveness of the original complex of psychocorrection and transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation (TENS) in patients with post-stress disorders.

Materials and methods. The study involved 120 men whose professional activity is associated with a high level of stress. The study participants were divided into 2 groups depending on their age: younger than 40 years (n=60) and older than 55 years (n=60). Patients underwent clinical examination, psychological testing, and clinical examination of cardiovascular activity. At the 1^st stage, two types of psychorelaxation (autogenic and respiratory training) were compared (each group was divided into 2 subgroups [n=30] depending on the type of training). In the 2^nd stage, each group was divided into 2 subgroups (n=30) in which true hardware technique (TENS) or its imitation in the form of placebo was applied.

Results. The analysis of the results of psychorelaxation showed its greater effectiveness (regardless of the type) in the middle-aged group, whereas in older patients the higher effectiveness of respiratory training was established. In spite of this, psychorelaxation (irrespective of its type) was less effective in correction of psychosomatic disorders in elderly patients in comparison with the middle-aged group, which determines the possibility of additional application of TENS in the elderly group. At the same time, the combined application of respiratory training and TENS contributed to a reliable increase in the effectiveness of treatment.

Conclusion. The study has shown the effectiveness of the proposed therapeutic complex (psychocorrection and TENS), which indicates the prospect of its introduction into the practice of new programs for restoring the health of socially important contingents.