Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population. Symptoms include excessive and persistent worry, feelings of impending doom, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, sleep problems and irritability. People with anxiety disorders often experience significant emotional distress and impairment in social, occupational and other important areas of functioning. The good news is that anxiety disorders are among the most treatable of mental illnesses.
Psychotherapy and medication treatments have been proven effective for treating anxiety disorders and can help reduce symptoms even when they are severe and seem overwhelming. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of psychotherapy that may be especially helpful for people with anxiety disorders. CBT is a form of treatment that helps individuals understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors. CBT can be used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addictions, depression, and anxiety.
The best way to determine if a person has an anxiety disorder is to talk with a mental health professional like a psychiatrist or psychologist or clinical social worker who specializes in diagnosing these conditions.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how your thoughts, feelings and behaviors affect each other. CBT has been shown to be highly effective in treating anxiety disorders — in fact, many studies have found that CBT may be more effective than antidepressants.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that changes patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people’s difficulties, and so changes the way they feel. It is used to help treat a wide range of issues in a person’s life, from sleeping difficulties or relationship problems, to drug and alcohol abuse or anxiety and depression. It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems.
CBT looks at the links between your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It aims to show you how to understand negative thoughts about yourself and the world around you, which may make you feel worse about yourself. Once you understand these thoughts better, you can change them for more positive ones. This can then improve your mood and behavior.
A basic principle of CBT is that your mood is affected by both the way you think and act. In other words, your moods are not just caused by events in your life but by how you interpret those events and how you cope with them. Another important principle of CBT is that how you think affects how you act and how you feel. For example, if you think something is difficult or dangerous, then it will be more difficult or dangerous for you than if you think it is easy or safe.
CBT is done in a therapist’s office or online. You may have several sessions per week at first, then fewer as your symptoms improve. It’s often done in groups, or with your family or loved ones. The goal is to help you learn ways to cope with anxiety. For example, you might learn relaxation techniques. Or you might learn how to change negative thoughts that may be making the anxiety worse. Over time, this can help reduce your symptoms.
CBT can help people of all ages with anxiety disorders and works best when combined with other treatment methods. The therapy is usually safe but does carry some risk of side effects. These include worsening symptoms or feeling depressed after sessions. If you’re considering CBT for an anxiety disorder, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of this approach.