Psychological therapy based on CBT principles is effective in reducing anxiety symptoms for short-term treatment of GAD .
The body of evidence comparing CBT with other psychological therapies is small and heterogeneous , which precludes drawing conclusions about which psychological therapy is more effective .
BACKGROUND Generalised anxiety disorder ( GAD ) is a highly prevalent condition , characterised by excessive worry or anxiety about everyday events and problems .
The effectiveness and effectiveness of psychological therapies as a group has not yet been evaluated in the treatment of GAD .
OBJECTIVES To examine the efficacy and acceptability of psychological therapies , categorised as cognitive behavioural therapy ( CBT ) , psychodynamic therapy and supportive therapy , compared with treatment as usual/waiting list ( TAU/WL ) and compared with one another , for patients with GAD .
Cognitive therapy, analytic psychotherapy and anxiety management training for generalised anxiety disorder.
BACKGROUND We test the hypotheses that ( a ) cognitive therapy is of comparable efficacy to psychodynamic psychotherapy , ( b ) 8 - 10 sessions of therapy is as effective as 16 - 20 sessions , and ( c ) brief therapist training is as effective as intensive training . METHOD Of 178 out- patients referred to a clinical trial of psychological treatment for generalised anxiety , 110 patients met DSM-III-R criteria for generalised anxiety disorder and were r and omly assigned to three different forms of psychotherapy . The main comparison was between cognitive therapy and analytic psychotherapy , delivered by experienced therapists at weekly or fortnightly intervals over six months . A third treatment , anxiety management training , was delivered at fortnightly intervals by registrars in psychiatry after a brief period of training . Eighty patients completed treatment and were assessed before treatment , after treatment , and at six-month follow-up . RESULTS Cognitive therapy was significantly more effective than analytic psychotherapy , with about 50 % of patients considerably better at follow-up . Analytic psychotherapy gave significant improvement but to a lesser degree than cognitive therapy . There was no significant effect for level of contact .  Patients receiving anxiety management training showed similar improvements to cognitive therapy after treatment , with rather lower proportions showing clinical ly significant change . CONCLUSIONS Cognitive therapy is likely to be more effective than psychodynamic psychotherapy with chronically anxious patients . Significant improvements in symptoms can be achieved by trainee psychiatrists after only brief instruction in behaviourally based anxiety management . However , the superiority of cognitive therapy at follow-up suggests that the greater investment of re sources required for this approach is likely to pay off in terms of more sustained improvement . There is no evidence that 16 - 20 sessions of treatment is more effective , on average , than 8 - 10 sessions
Psychological therapy based on CBT principles is effective in reducing anxiety symptoms for short-term treatment of GAD .
The body of evidence comparing CBT with other psychological therapies is small and heterogeneous , which precludes drawing conclusions about which psychological therapy is more effective .
BACKGROUND Generalised anxiety disorder ( GAD ) is a highly prevalent condition , characterised by excessive worry or anxiety about everyday events and problems .
The effectiveness and effectiveness of psychological therapies as a group has not yet been evaluated in the treatment of GAD .
OBJECTIVES To examine the efficacy and acceptability of psychological therapies , categorised as cognitive behavioural therapy ( CBT ) , psychodynamic therapy and supportive therapy , compared with treatment as usual/waiting list ( TAU/WL ) and compared with one another , for patients with GAD .