Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder:

Abstract

(Butler, Chapman, Forman, & Beck, 2006). CBT is commonly used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as a monotherapy or alongside anti-anxiety medication. Meta-analyses demonstrate CBT’s effectiveness in reducing anxiety symptoms (Carpenter et al., 2018; Cuijpers et al., 2014) and its magnitude is comparable to antidepressant drugs (Williams, Stein, & Ipser, 2018). Benefits of CBT are maintained over six to 12 months (Covin, Ouimet, Seeds, & Dozois, 2008). In clinical practice, the specific CBT components (i.e., behavioral activation; challenging negative automatic thoughts, cognitive errors, and misattributions; problem solving; interpersonal interventions) used should be based on the problems experienced by the individual patient (Persons, Davidson, & Tompkins, 2000). A meta-analysis comparing components common in CBT treatments for GAD showed modest or no differences (Borkovec, Newman, Pincus, & Lytle, 2002). Psychological Health Center of Excellence Psych Health Evidence Briefs July 2018 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder