Research has shown CBT to be very effective in the treatment of a
broad spectrum of anxiety disorder symptoms. In this section I will address the following
questions:
What
are the different types of anxiety disorder diagnoses?
What are
some common features of anxiety disorders?
How is CBT
used to treat anxiety
disorders?
How long does
CBT treatment usually last?
It is common to hear people talk about having
“anxiety,” being “stressed,” or having a “panic attack.” But
those terms carry very different meanings for different people.
Anxiety can be described as falling on a
continuum. Some people, who fall on the far end of the continuum,
have anxiety that is severe enough to merit a clinical diagnosis,
such as Generalized Anxiety
Disorder or
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Some, who fall
in the middle of the continuum, may not meet criteria for an Anxiety
Disorder, but nevertheless may have anxiety that is troubling and
difficult to manage. Still others may usually feel relatively calm,
falling on the low end of the continuum, but may notice a sharp
increase in anxiety due to a pronounced life stressor.
Some people can identify a clear
trigger for their anxiety episodes, while others cannot. Most
likely, some combination of genetic and environmental factors
contributes to the onset of anxiety problems.
Anxiety disorders that are clinically
diagnosable (as per the DSM-IV) include:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder (with and without
agoraphobia)
- Specific Phobia
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Acute Stress Disorder
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