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 versus applied relaxation as treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.
Cognitive therapy ( CT ) and applied relaxation ( AR ) as treatments of generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) were compared in a sample of 45 patients of a community mental health center , r and omly allocated to condition . Patients were assessed before and after a 12-session treatment , and at one and six months follow-ups . There was a 20 % drop out from CT and 15 % from AR ( NS ) , with some drop outs being considerably improved . Both completers and intention-to-treat analyses revealed that both treatments were effective ( ESs of composite and specific measures ranging from 0.53 to 1.14 ) . At one-month follow-up AR tended to do better than CT , with CT catching up with AR at six months . Recovery rates and proportions of patients showing reliable change were comparable to other studies on AR and CT , with 55 % of CT and 53.3 % of AR patients recovered on the STAI-trait at six-month follow-up . These results confirm that both CT and AR are effective treatments for GAD , and also that there is still room for improvement
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 .