J022 Psychological interventions in Huntington’s disease; insights from Dutch psychologists on HD patient care

<h3>Background</h3> Huntington’s Disease (HD) presents with many psychological challenges, in some cases requiring interventions. <h3>Aims</h3> This study explores the interventions used by psychologists in the Netherlands and aims to inform about common practices in HD and identify areas that need further research. <h3>Methods</h3> In this qualitative study, we performed semi-structured interviews with 12 psychologists from various healthcare settings. These psychologists, recruited through the Dutch psychological workgroup of the Huntington KennisNet Nederland (HKNN), have an average of 10 years of experience in HD care. A thematic analysis was performed, coded by two researchers. <h3>Results</h3> Commonly used interventions included Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), psychoeducation, counseling, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), mediative approaches, signaling plans, and structuring and supportive conversations. The well-organized HD care in the Netherlands, with annual multidisciplinary screenings, is largely responsible for the early detection of psychological problems. Challenges in psychological care are anosognosia, avoidant coping, and cognitive decline. Significant uncertainties raised include: defining the psychologist’s specific role in HD care, determining when to refer patients, determining the effectiveness of interventions, and using or not using assertive outreach figure 1. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The study highlights preventive rather than explicitly goal-driven psychological interventions in HD care. It emphasizes that in every stage of HD psychological help can be given and encourages the use of dimensional, multi-faceted psychotherapeutic approaches. In the future, the psychologists suggested incorporation of modern technology, cognitive rehabilitation strategies, early enhancement of coping strategies, and focus on emotional regulation and relationship dynamics. These insights aim to guide novice and experienced psychologists in improving HD patient care.