Role of psychotherapy in anxiety disorders
What role does psychotherapy have in the treatment of anxiety disorders? Name and briefly describe some cognitive–behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders.
Psychotherapies, of which CBT is best supported by evidence, are the mainstay of treatment of anxiety disorders, with pharmacotherapies serving mostly as augmentative therapy.
- Psychoeducation—pathophysiology education and building of therapeutic alliance
- Distress tolerance—learning to tolerate rather than avoid anxiety
- Cognitive restructuring—challenging and changing maladaptive thinking
- Modeling—the patient observes others exposed to and tolerating the feared stimulus
- Exposure and response prevention—imaginal or direct exposure to the feared stimulus or to the associated symptoms and learning to prevent the avoidance of the stimulus or symptoms
- – Graduated exposure—exposure to and tolerance of a less-to-most-feared stimulus hierarchy
- – Flooding—the patient is exposed directly to the feared stimulus until symptoms abate
