Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The CBT Approach

Summary

In this video, Vince Greenwood, the director of the Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy, discusses Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a diagnosable condition characterized by excessive worry and physical symptoms. He outlines the components of GAD, including distorted thinking patterns, physical sensations, and behaviors like avoidance and reassurance seeking. Greenwood then describes the cognitive-behavioral treatment approach for GAD, which includes self-awareness, progressive muscle relaxation, and techniques to alter negative predictions and behaviors, aiming to reduce chronic worry and anxiety.

Takeaways

• 😀 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry and physical symptoms like muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, and sleep difficulties.
• 😀 GAD is different from occasional worry; it is persistent, often daily for at least six months, and is a diagnosable condition.
• 😀 Key features of GAD include overestimating the probability of negative events and imagining worst-case scenarios (catastrophizing).
• 😀 Common beliefs in GAD sufferers include perfectionism, responsibility to focus on negative possibilities, and the idea that worry can prevent negative outcomes.
• 😀 The physical component of GAD involves symptoms like difficulty relaxing, trouble sleeping, irritability, and chronic over-arousal of the nervous system.
• 😀 Behavioral aspects of GAD include avoidance of perceived threats and reassurance-seeking behaviors, which reinforce worry.
• 😀 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an effective, research-supported treatment for GAD, focusing on changing thoughts, behaviors, and physical responses.
• 😀 Self-monitoring and recording anxiety and worry states help identify specific components of GAD for targeted treatment.
• 😀 Progressive muscle relaxation is a key technique in CBT, helping reduce physical tension and break the cycle of worry.
• 😀 Challenging distorted thoughts and imagining coping with worst-case scenarios are effective CBT strategies to reduce worry.
• 😀 Addressing reassurance-seeking and avoidance behaviors is crucial in CBT to promote healthier coping mechanisms and reduce chronic worry.

Q & A

What is the Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy's area of specialization?

The Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a diagnosable condition characterized by excessive worry and a cluster of physical symptoms such as muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, and sleep difficulties.

How does GAD differ from normal worry?

GAD is different from normal worry in that it involves persistent, excessive worry that feels uncontrollable and is often accompanied by physical symptoms, whereas normal worry can be adaptive and help prepare for difficulties.

What are the three basic components of GAD?

The three basic components of GAD are a thinking component (worrying), a feeling component (anxiety and apprehension along with physical symptoms), and a behavior component (avoidance and reassurance-seeking behaviors).

Why is it important to understand the components of GAD?

Understanding the components of GAD is important because it makes the condition less mysterious, identifies specific areas for treatment, and helps to break the negative cycle of worry leading to physical tension and back to more worry.

What are the two key distortions in thinking that characterize GAD?

The two key distortions in thinking that characterize GAD are overestimating the probability that something threatening might happen and catastrophizing, or overestimating the severity of an undesirable event.

What are the three beliefs associated with chronic worry in GAD?

The three beliefs associated with chronic worry in GAD are perfectionism (the belief that one should not make mistakes), an inflated sense of responsibility (believing it's irresponsible not to focus on negative possibilities), and controllability (the belief that worry can prevent negative outcomes).

How does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) address the physical symptoms of GAD?

CBT addresses the physical symptoms of GAD through techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, which helps to reduce tension and shift the body from a state of over arousal to a more relaxed state.

What is the purpose of self-monitoring during the initial stage of CBT for GAD?

The purpose of self-monitoring is to help clients identify when, where, and under what circumstances they experience anxiety, as well as to pinpoint the specific thoughts, physical symptoms, and behaviors associated with their worry, which can then be targeted for treatment.

How does CBT help change the behavioral component of GAD?

CBT helps change the behavioral component of GAD by targeting reassurance-seeking and avoidance behaviors, encouraging clients to engage in non-anxious behaviors, and teaching them to tolerate imperfection and let go of attempts to control everything.

What is the ultimate goal of CBT for treating GAD?

The ultimate goal of CBT for treating GAD is to help individuals worry less, cope more effectively with problems, and reduce the self-defeating behaviors that contribute to their anxiety.