Effects of Psychological Counselling Combined With Tolvaptan on Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury and Hyponatremia

Abstract

Background: To explore the effects of psychological counselling model combined with tolvaptan on depression, anxiety, and quality of life in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hyponatremia.

Methods: This retrospective study included 150 patients with TBI complicated by hyponatremia admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College between May 2022 and May 2024. Based on the treatment methods provided in their medical records, the patients were divided into a combined treatment group (n = 75), receiving psychological counselling combined with tolvaptan, and a traditional treatment group (n = 75), receiving tolvaptan alone. Serum sodium levels, depression and anxiety status, quality of life, and self-efficacy were compared between the two groups before and after counselling.

Results: Compared with the traditional treatment group, the combined treatment group showed better stability in serum sodium recovery, significantly lower depression and anxiety scores, and significantly higher scores in quality of life, self-efficacy, and social functioning than the traditional treatment group (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Among patients with TBI and hyponatremia, psychological counselling combined with tolvaptan was associated with more stable serum sodium recovery, better emotional state and improved quality of life compared with tolvaptan alone. However, due to the retrospective nature of this study, these findings should be interpreted as correlational rather than causal. Prospective controlled studies are needed to further validate these findings.