Respiratory Psycho-Neuro-Immunology: A collaborative approach to respiratory disease Seminar

The association between chronic respiratory disease and psychological dysfunction has been increasingly apparent in recent years in epidemiological studies, yet the effectiveness of psychological interventions is less established and the biological mechanisms underpinning the relationship are uncertain. There appears to be a bi-directional relationship, with respiratory diseases associated with high levels of psychological dysfunction and those having psychological co-morbidity having worse outcomes across a wide spectrum of measures, from mortality to quality of life.

Current intervention studies often use elements of existing CBT programmes for anxiety, with suggestions of effectiveness for improving outcomes, although a variety of other interventions are feasible.. Recently the Department of Health has identified studies of psychological treatments in asthma as a research priority and Cochrane reviews of their use have called for more high-quality research.

Although there is a lot of research examining cognitive biases in anxiety, the corresponding research has not been conducted in asthma. The Respiratory Psycho-Neuro-Immunology (RPNI) group brings together experts from research departments within (and beyond) the University of Southampton, including the Department of Primary Care, the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Psychology, as well as experienced clinicians from the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. I will present plans for an initial cohesive research program that reconciles findings from both anxiety and asthma, providing much needed basic research that would provide a foundation for significant and long-standing future investment.