The current paper evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week memory notebook treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with memory dysfunction. Fourteen participants who were diagnosed with MS and had either a score indicating mild-to-moderate impairment on an objective memory test (i.e., the CVLT-II or the BVMT) or a self-report of a decline in memory were randomly assigned to either the Memory Notebook group (MNG) or the Supportive Psychotherapy control group (CG). Both groups received 8 training sessions for 1.5 hours over 7 weeks; on the eighth week, one hour was dedicated to training and the remaining half hour was designated to follow-up paperwork. The primary outcome measures were between-groups comparison of pre-post change on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ). In terms of secondary measures, a between-groups comparison of pre-mid-post change on the Retrospective Memory Task (5RMT) and the Prospective Memory Task (5RMT), and comparisons of pre-post change on the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis, Version 2 (FAMS-2), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Zung Anxiety Scale (ZAS), the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). A greater improvement of depression symptoms was seen for the MNG than the CG. Non-significant changes were seen in clinically therapeutic directions on all other measures. This trial supports the efficacy of memory notebook training for distress reduction in MS
