scholarly journals Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Very Young Children: First Case Reports on Stability and Developmental Considerations

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Michael S. Scheeringa ◽  
Lauren C. Burns
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Very Young Children ◽  
First Case

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is purported to start in early childhood but concerns about attenuation of anxiety symptoms over time and the development of emerging cognitive and emotional processing capabilities pose multiple challenges for accurate detection. This paper presents the first known case reports of very young children with GAD to examine these developmental challenges at the item level. Three children, five-to-six years of age, were assessed with the Diagnostic Infant and Preschool Assessment twice in a test-retest reliability study. One case appeared to show attenuation of the worries during the test-retest period based on caregiver report but not when followed over two years. The other two cases showed stability of the full complement of diagnostic criteria. The cases were useful for demonstrating that the current diagnostic criteria appear adequate for this developmental period. The challenges of accurate assessment of young children that might cause missed diagnoses are discussed. Future research on the underlying dysregulation of negative emotionality and long-term follow-ups are needed to better understand the etiology, treatment, and course of GAD in this age group.

scholarly journals Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults: Focus on Pregabalin

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. CMPsy.S5069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark J. Boschen
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter ◽  
Ion Flow ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Voltage Dependent Calcium Channels ◽  
Flow Through

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic illness which impacts significantly on an individual's functioning and quality of life. Pregabalin is a novel structural analogue of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, acting to reduce calcium ion flow through the α2δ subunit of pre-synaptic voltage-dependent calcium channels. Pregabalin has been used in treatment of GAD in a total of eight published controlled trials. In each trial, pregabalin has demonstrated a superiority over placebo, with response rates of over 40% in all studies, including patients on lower doses. One study has provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of pregabalin in treatment of GAD in older adults. Pregabalin is generally well tolerated, with the most common adverse events being dizziness and somnolence. Adverse effects are generally mild-to-moderate, and transient. Pregabalin has low abuse potential. Limitations of the current literature are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder With Integrations From Interpersonal and Experiential Therapies

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 382-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. Borkovec ◽  
Michelle G. Newman ◽  
Louis G. Castonguay
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Integrated Treatment ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Empirically Supported

ABSTRACTAfter providing background information on the definition and nature of generalized anxiety disorder, this article describes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) methods that have been empirically supported in the treatment of this disorder. Subsequent to this description, relevant outcome literature is briefly reviewed, along with evidence that the addition of other techniques beyond traditional CBT methods may be necessary to maximize clinical outcome. A description is then provided of an integrated interpersonal/emotional processing therapy that the authors have recently added to their CBT protocol. CBT with and without this integrated treatment is currently being evaluated in an experimental trial.

scholarly journals A preliminary test of the therapeutic potential of written exposure with rescripting for generalized anxiety disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 204380871984152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melina M. Ovanessian ◽  
Naomi Koerner ◽  
Martin M. Antony ◽  
Michel J. Dugas
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Avoidance ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Fear Of Anxiety ◽  
Negative Problem Orientation

This experiment tested a novel written exposure intervention for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) that consisted of guided rescripting of participants’ worst fear. After describing their worst fear, adults with GAD ( N = 79) were randomly assigned to one of three writing interventions, each consisting of three sessions on consecutive days: (1) standard written exposure (WE), (2) written exposure with rescripting (RWE), and (3) neutral control writing (NC). Measures of symptoms and worry-associated processes were administered at pre- and post-intervention, and at 1-week and 1-month follow-ups. Worry declined significantly in all three conditions. Participants in WE reported significant reductions in fear of anxiety, whereas those in RWE reported significant reductions in fear of anger. Participants in RWE and NC reported a significant decrease in fear of positive emotion. Following RWE, participants perceived their feared scenario as less costly and perceived themselves as better able to cope with it, whereas participants in the WE and NC did not show these changes. Cognitive avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty, and negative problem orientation did not change. Findings suggest overall, RWE was not superior to WE, and that more research is needed to assess their therapeutic potential. Strengths and limitations are discussed for the benefit of future research on exposure for GAD.

scholarly journals Exposure to a Standardized Catastrophic Scenario in Virtual Reality or a Personalized Scenario in Imagination for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Guitard ◽  
Stéphane Bouchard ◽  
Claude Bélanger ◽  
Maxine Berthiaume
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Randomized Control

The cognitive behavioral treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often involves exposing patients to a catastrophic scenario depicting their most feared worry. The aim of this study was to examine whether a standardized scenario recreated in virtual reality (VR) would elicit anxiety and negative affect and how it compared to the traditional method of imagining a personalized catastrophic scenario. A sample of 28 participants were first exposed to a neutral non-catastrophic scenario and then to a personalized scenario in imagination or a standardized virtual scenario presented in a counterbalanced order. The participants completed questionnaires before and after each immersion. The results suggest that the standardized virtual scenario induced significant anxiety. No difference was found when comparing exposure to the standardized scenario in VR and exposure to the personalized scenario in imagination. These findings were specific to anxiety and not to the broader measure of negative affect. Individual differences in susceptibility to feel present in VR was a significant predictor of increase in anxiety and negative affect. Future research could use these scenarios to conduct a randomized control trial to test the efficacy and cost/benefits of using VR in the treatment of GAD.

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