Behavioral medicine approaches to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent respiratory disease and associated with considerable individual and socioeconomic burden. Recent research started examining the role of psychosocial factors for course and management of the disease. Purpose This review provides an overview on recent findings on psychosocial factors and behavioral medicine approaches in COPD. Results Research has identified several important psychosocial factors and effective behavioral medicine interventions in COPD. However, there is considerable need for future research in this field. Conclusions Although beneficial effects of some behavioral medicine interventions have been demonstrated in COPD, future research efforts are necessary to study the effects of distinct components of these interventions, to thoroughly examine promising but yet not sufficiently proven interventions, and to develop new creative interventions.