Application of Value-Oriented Psychotherapy in Shaping the Internal Picture of Illness and Comprehensive Treatment of a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis

Introduction: Working with patients with myasthenia gravis presents challenges due to disease symptoms, life circumstances triggering disease onset or exacerbation, severe exacerbations (including myasthenic crisis), ongoing stressful events, heightened personal anxiety, and the psychological impact of diagnosis itself. Value-Oriented Psychotherapy (VOP) is based on the principle that such difficulties serve as feedback from life, revealing the individual’s internal value distortions.
Objective: To evaluate the potential of VOP in modifying the internal picture of illness and enhancing the efficacy of comprehensive treatment in patients with myasthenia gravis.
Material and methods: A clinical case of a myasthenia patient undergoing VOP consultation was analyzed. Standardized tools were employed, including the TOBOL questionnaire (Typology of Attitude Toward Illness) and hypnotherapeutic techniques. The patient was found to exhibit a mixed ergopathicsensitiv attitude toward illness.
Results: Immediate outcomes of the consultation included improved psychological well-being and a transformed illness perception, enabling the patient to recognize his core life task. Long-term followup revealed a shift to a stable ergopathic attitude without signs of maladaptation. One year later, the patient achieved pharmacological remission and reported positive changes across multiple life domains and sustained psychological improvement. Given the significant role of psychological factors in myasthenia and the promising results of this intervention, further research into the impact of psychotherapeutic approaches on the formation of the internal picture of illness — and consequently on rehabilitation and comprehensive treatment outcomes — is warranted.
Conclusion: The VOP method demonstrated effectiveness in reshaping the patient’s relationship with illness, contributing to improved health status and social adaptation.

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