Therapies based on compassion are more cost-effective and associated with a better quality of life than are those using relaxation techniques to help people with fibromyalgia, a study reported. The study, “Cost-Utility of Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy (ABCT) for Fibromyalgia Compared to Relaxation: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial,” was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. Known as compassion-based interventions (CBIs), this approach is reported to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health problems. To date, seven different CBIs were evaluated in clinical trials, including an approach called Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy (ABCT). ABCT aims at strengthening a person's ability to be considerate and kind both toward themselves and others. Although most CBIs were designed 10 or more years ago, their cost-effectiveness compared to other wellness approaches has not been evaluated in a rigorous trial, the researchers said. Their increasing interest among clinicians and researchers, however, warrants assessing whether CBIs should be a treatment option of interest to health policymakers and other stakeholders. A team from Spain and the U.K. compared the cost-utility of ABCT to that of relaxation therapy (REL), as assessed by quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthcare costs. QALY is a measure of disease burden that takes into account changes in quality and the quantity of life, and is used to judge from an economic viewpoint the value of a medical intervention. Researchers enrolled 42 Spanish adults with fibromyalgia, who took part in eight weekly group sessions of either ABCT (23 patients) or REL (19) with a psychologist, followed by three booster sessions. All also had short daily at-home assignments to compl