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 .
The effects of common and specific factors in short-term anxiety-provoking psychotherapy: a pilot process-outcome study.
This study attempted to identify the necessary and sufficient change factors in  short-term anxiety-provoking psychotherapy  ( STAPP ) . Twenty patients were r and omly assigned to either STAPP or a form of nondirective therapy  almost devoid of psychodynamic elements but with common factors of psychotherapy intact . Both treatments were 20 sessions long , were manualized , and therapists in both conditions were experienced clinicians receiving manual-guided supervision . Most patients had a diagnosis of anxiety . Results showed that patients in both treatments improved greatly symptomatically and that no further gains were made after termination . Treatments were equally effective . The therapeutic alliance was a strong predictor of symptom improvement . The findings underscore the importance of common factors pertaining to the therapeutic relationship , and they may open to question , to some degree , the therapeutic effectiveness of psychodynamic technique factors in STAPP . The way in which specific and common factors can be brought together under the umbrella of the concept of affect attunement is discussed
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 .