Systematic review of the effectiveness of mirror therapy for treatment of mentally ill patients

Abstract

In mirror therapy (MT), the patient sits in front of a mirror that is oriented parallel to his midline blocking the view of the (affected) limb, positioned behind the mirror. When looking into the mirror, the patient sees the reflection of the unaffected limb positioned as the affected limb. This arrangement is suited to create a visual illusion whereby movement of or touch to the intact limb may be perceived as affecting the paretic or painful limb. The aim of this review was to identify and summarize the existing evidences on mirror therapy for the management of mental illness in patients. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies concerning mirror therapy. The included journal articles were reviewed and assessed for its significance. Twentytwo studies were identified and reviewed. Five different patient categories were studied: Two studies focussed on mirror therapy after stroke, two studies focussed on mirror therapy with complex regional pain syndrome patients, one studies on mirror therapy for cerebral palsy and on study on mirror therapy for mental illness. The articles reviewed showed a trend that mirror therapy is effective in stroke, phantom limb pain, complex regional pain syndrome, mental illness and cerebral palsy.