Treatment: Anxiety Disorders
What is the most effective treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
CBT is the most effective treatment.
What are a couple of preferred characteristics of a therapist working with social anxiety disorder?
Characteristics: 1. Empathy 2. Collaboration 3. Care not to appear critical/rejecting Rather than looking for immediate results, or focusing on change, therapists may need to slow down the process, examine their own beliefs about change, and praise clients for their efforts and the progress that has been made.
What is the treatment of choice for panic disorder?
Cognitive behavioral therapy has become the treatment of choice for panic disorder. Psychoeducation about what is "normal" is an important first step in the treatment process. Reducing the misinterpretation of certain bodily sensations is part of CBT for panic disorder. Interoceptive exposure has been found to be an effective component of CBT for the treatment of panic disorder.
What therapeutic intervention is the "treatment of choice" for childhood anxiety disorders?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the treatment of choice for childhood anxiety disorders. Fears and phobias are acquired through classical conditioning, and they can be unlearned through use of exposure therapy in which the child confronts the feared situation via graded exposure to the feared stimulus. Cognitive therapy then provides the child with coping statements to help them develop a sense of mastery and accomplishment.
What are a couple of cognitive and behavioral components in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Cognitive distortions that contribute to Generalized Anxiety Disorder include interpreting neutral information in a negative way, and the tendency to prepare for the worst-case scenario in any given situation with the idea that if it happens, the person will be prepared. Difficulties with emotional processing lie at the heart of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Focus on interpersonal problems with a focus on how the client contributes to maintaining maladaptive schemas.
What are the components of the treatment plan for social anxiety disorder?
Exposure therapy and cognitive restricting are the typical interventions for social anxiety disorders. 12 to 20 weeks of treatment include the following: 1. Psychoeducation about the cause of onset and maintenance of fears in social anxiety disorder 2. Exposure to gradually more fearful situations Cognitive restructuring to recognize and self-manage troublesome thoughts Between session assignments (e.g., reading, experiments to generalize learning)
How many people meet the criteria for panic disorder?
Fewer than 3% of the U.S. population will meet the criteria for panic disorder.
Is mass exposure helpful for treating phobias?
Mass exposure has been shown to lead to significant improvement for a variety of specific phobias, and may even be preferable for animal phobias, injections, and dental treatment.
What is the concern about the use of medication in treating phobias and other anxiety disorders?
Medication is not usually indicated in the treatment of specific phobias because its use reduces the person's ability to benefit from exposure-based treatment. Medication does not cure the problem, and may actually reinforce that the fear is real.
What are the most effective treatment approaches for phobias?
Most treatments for specific phobias will involve in vivo exposure to the feared situation.
How can therapists help by "normalizing," reassuring, and providing psychoeducation?
Normalizing these reactions as well as reassuring clients that treatment can be effective can help provide motivation to engage in yet another treatment. People who understand the physiology of a panic attack are less likely to be terrified when another occurs.
Are extended 3-hour sessions useful for treating phobias?
One extended 3-hour session can be as effective as five sessions of exposure.
What is Panic Control Treatment?
Panic Control Treatment (PCT) was developed by Craske & Barlow in the 1980s and has become an evidence-based treatment for panic disorder for both adults and adolescents. PCT includes cognitive restructuring with or without breath retraining.
How common are panic attacks?
Panic attacks are very common. The 12-month prevalence rate in the United States is over 12% of the adult population, and it has been estimated that as many as 50% of adults will experience at least one panic attack in their lifetime.
Why is it important to involve parents in the treatment of children with separation anxiety disorder?
Parental involvement in treatment of children with mental disorders usually increases treatment efficacy. The dynamics of the relationship between the parent and child may be causing or contributing to the child's anxiety.
How common is social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder is the third most common mental condition after depression and alcohol use disorder.
What are some common components of exposure based treatments?
The entire hierarchy of feared stimuli is presented; one at a time, until the anxiety connected to that item is reduced.
How treatable are specific phobias compared to other anxiety disorders?
The prognosis for specific phobias are the best of any of the anxiety disorders, with 70-85% of people experiencing significant improvement. Even so, residual fear of a specific stimuli may remain or return years later.
