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A group of German investigators has published a randomized controlled trial on how to overcome constant worries in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Worry exposure (WE) is a core element of cognitive-behavioral treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Its efficacy as a stand-alone treatment method (without further cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions) has never been tested. This study examined whether WE alone is as efficacious as the empirically supported stand-alone treatment for GAD, applied relaxation (AR). [continue reading…]
Published: January 29, 2009
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 reports in today’s
Mail  about how more middle-aged women than ever before have depression or anxiety.Â
A survey found that a quarter of those aged 45 to 54 experienced a ‘common mental disorder’ in 2007 – up a fifth from 1993.
Experts believe the stresses of balancing home and work, caring for sick relatives, or feelings of loneliness after children leave home, can all contribute to the ‘crisis’.Â
On top of this, those who grew up in the Sixties are more likely than previous generations to feel they haven’t made enough of their life and to be unhappy with their looks.
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Source: MailOnline
Published: January 3, 2009
A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment.
A new study appearing online today (Jan. 2) reports that high levels of brain activity in an emotional center called the amygdala reflect patients’ hypersensitivity to anticipation of adverse events. At the same time, high activity in a regulatory region known as the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with a positive clinical response to a common antidepressant medication. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. [continue reading…]
Published: October 6, 2008
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Magnetic resonance brain imaging reveals that patients with generalized social phobia respond differently than others to negative comments about themselves, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Generalized social phobia is characterized by fear/avoidance of social situations and fear of being judged negatively by others,” the authors write as background information in the article. “It is the most common anxiety disorder in the general population, with the lifetime prevalence estimated at 13.3 percent, and it is associated with a high risk for depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicide.” Previous studies have found differences in the way brains of affected individuals respond to facial expressions, suggesting that the condition involves increased responsiveness to social stimuli in areas linked to emotion. [continue reading…]
