Current and Experimental Treatments for Anxiety Disorders

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Guastella ◽  
Alice Norton ◽  
Gail A. Alvares ◽  
Yun Ju Christine Song
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Experimental Treatments ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Chronic Anxiety ◽  
Bias Modification ◽  
Serotonin Selective Reuptake Inhibitor ◽  
Acute Anxiety

There are currently a range of treatments available for anxiety disorders, including pharmacological and behavior-based therapies. The most widely used medications, for which there is considerable evidence of efficacy across a range of anxiety disorders, are the serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor antidepressants. Benzodiazepines are also widely prescribed and show efficacy for acute anxiety, but their use in the treatment of chronic anxiety syndromes is more problematic. Many patients are not adequately covered by the available range of medications, which is driving interest in potentially new pharmacological approaches. The best established non-pharmacological treatment of anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy and several related behavioral approaches, which have been shown to be efficacious in a range of anxiety disorders. One of these related approaches is called cognitive bias modification, which aims to alter an individual’s responses to anxiety-provoking stimuli.

Can Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretations Training Alter Mood States in Children and Adolescents? A Reanalysis of Data From Six Studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Y. F. Lau ◽  
Victoria Pile
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
Bias Modification ◽  
And Training

Anxiety disorders are common and impairing in childhood and adolescence. Cognitive bias modification of interpretations (CBM-I) training aims to alter information biases associated with anxiety disorders by training the person to endorse benign, rather than negative, interpretations of ambiguous situations. With an expanding evidence base, CBM-I training in childhood and adolescence may provide a key opportunity to prevent the development of anxiety disorders, particularly by capitalizing on the inherent flexibility of the adolescent brain to make durable changes. This article augments existing data with a reanalysis of a large sample of data ( N = 387). The reanalysis highlights that CBM-I is (a) effective in altering interpretation styles; (b) that changes in mood state, although weak, are evident; and (c) tentatively, that effectiveness may vary across age in males and females. We conclude by offering further suggestions on which factors associated with protocol (e.g., multiple sessions) and training package (e.g., use of imagery) may maximize training effectiveness.

scholarly journals Can Cognitive Bias Modification Simultaneously Target Two Behaviors? Approach Bias Retraining for Alcohol and Condom Use

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1078-1093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin M. Hahn ◽  
Raluca M. Simons ◽  
Jeffrey S. Simons ◽  
Reinout W. Wiers ◽  
Logan E. Welker
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Training Condition ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Bias Modification

This study tested the effectiveness of a cognitive bias modification (CBM) intervention to simultaneously reduce approach biases toward alcohol and increase approach biases toward condoms among high-risk young adults. Participants ( N = 102) were randomly assigned to either a training condition or a sham-training condition. Participants in the training condition were trained to make avoidance movements away from alcohol stimuli and approach movements toward condom stimuli over four training sessions. Approach biases and behavior were assessed at pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Approach biases changed for both stimulus categories in accordance with training condition. Condom behavior and attitudes also changed as a function of training condition such that participants in the training condition reported fewer instances of condom nonuse and more positive attitudes toward condoms at a 3-month follow-up. Participants in both conditions had significant reductions in alcohol consumption following the intervention and did not differ by training condition.

Development of a cognitive bias modification intervention for anxiety disorders in primary care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risa B. Weisberg ◽  
Meghan A. Gonsalves ◽  
Ramya Ramadurai ◽  
Howard Braham ◽  
Cara Fuchs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Bias Modification ◽  
Modification Intervention

Novel Treatment Approaches for Anxiety Disorders

2013 ◽  
pp. 621-635
Author(s):  
Anita Van Zwieten ◽  
Gail A. Alvares ◽  
Adam J. Guastella
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Approaches ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Anxiety Treatment ◽  
Behavioral Mechanisms ◽  
Bias Modification

This chapter discusses novel pharmacological and cognitive approaches in the treatment of anxiety disorders. In particular, evidence is reviewed for glucocorticoids, yohimbine chloride, and D-cycloserine (DCS) as pharmacological adjuncts that augment fear extinction processes in psychotherapy, as well as cognitive bias modification (CBM) programs designed to remediate biased cognitive processes. These treatment approaches aim to capitalize on the cognitive, neurobiological, and behavioral mechanisms that underlie anxiety disorders. Novel technological approaches that aim to enhance access to anxiety treatment are also reviewed, specifically in reference to internet- and computer-based psychotherapy (ICT). Along with their proposed mechanisms of action, empirical evidence for their efficacy, acceptability, and cost-effectiveness are explored, as well as directions for future research.

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