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 .
Applied relaxation vs. cognitive therapy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.
The present study investigated the efficacy of a coping-technique , applied relaxation ( AR ) and cognitive therapy ( CT ) , in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder . Thirty-six out patients fulfilling the DSM-III-R criteria for generalized anxiety were assessed with independent assessor ratings and self-report scales before and after treatment and at a 1 yr follow-up . The patients were r and omized and treated individually for 12 weekly sessions . The results showed that both treatments yielded large improvements , which were maintained , or furthered at follow-up . There was no difference between AR and CT on any measure . The drop-out rate was 12 % for AR and 5 % for CT . The proportions of clinical ly significantly improved patients were 53 and 62 % at post-treatment and 67 and 56 % at follow-up for AR and CT , respectively . Besides affecting generalized anxiety the treatments also yielded marked and lasting changes on ratings of worry , cognitive and somatic anxiety and depression . The conclusion that can be drawn is that both AR and CT have potential as treatments for generalized anxiety disorder but they have to be developed further in order to increase the efficacy to the level usually seen in panic disorder , 80 - 85 % clinical ly improved
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 .