Neuropsychiatric manifestations, especially depression, anxiety and psychosis, are common in systemic lupus erythmatosus (SLE). The psychological stress and the use of corticoids have been blamed for these psychopathological manifestations. A literature review was realized on the efficacy of psychological interventions in the treatment of SLE, using research data bases, through the descriptors "psychotherapy" and "lupus", including randomized clinical trials and prospective studies. Six articles were found, of these, four were randomized clinical trials, and two prospective studies. Five articles related evidence of pronounced improvement in patients that had psychological follow-up and one article did not found such evidence. Psychological intervention can be an important tool in the treatment of SLE.
systemic lupus erythemathosus; psychotherapy; autoimmune disease
