Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: From Science to Practice

by Michel J. Dugas, Melisa Robichaud

Medical understanding of the nature and treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has dramatically increased over the past 15 years. Recent studies have shown that GAD is a common disorder, with one-year and lifetime prevalence rates of approximately 1.6% and 5.1% respectively. Contrary to previously held assumptions, Gad leads to considerable distress and impairment, which translate into substantial personal, social, and financial costs. Research into the nature of GAD has provided a number of theoretically-driven and empirically-supported conceptualizations have spawned cognitive-behavioral treatments for GAD, a few of which have received empirical support in controlled clinical trials.The main objective of this book is to present a detailed analysis of the etiology, assessment, and treatment of GAD by focusing on the cognitive-behavioral model and treatment options for GAD. Following chapters would provide a review of the empirical support for the different models of GAD, a detailed description of the assessment and step-by-step treatment of GAD (including many examples of therapist-client dialogue), and data on treatment efficacy in individual and group therapy. The book would conclude with a description of maintenance and follow-up strategies.There are a disproportionately small number of treatment manuals for effective interventions for individuals with what newer evidence has shown to be an increasingly common and widespread disorder. This handbook would be a useful tool for clinical and counseling psychologists in treatment of GAD, and a welcome addition to our new series.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2006

Reviews

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

El otro manual imprescindible para el tratamiento de los problemas de rumia y ansiedad generalizada.

[Ruta Kav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great treatment manual. It was a very amooth read, usefull not only for the treatment of GAD, as gives good ideas worth implementing in treating other disorders as well.

[Nan]

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to treating generalized anxiety disorder, grounded in empirical evidence. The author's meticulous documentation and classification of anxious behaviors are particularly noteworthy. A key takeaway from this book is the importance of exposure as a primary goal in anxiety treatment. I have found this book to be an invaluable resource, both personally and professionally, and have seen its principles translate to more effective interventions with my patients.

[Lynnaea · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most useful, concise, and enjoyable-to-read treatment manuals I've come across! Highly recommend for any clinician working with clients with generalized anxiety disorder. I need to read the updated version some day, but still found the foundational research described here, as well as the descriptions of each treatment component, relevant and useful.

5/5

[Briar Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The intended audience of the book was for CBT therapists, bridging the gap between GAD research and clinical practice by creating a model for therapists to use in CBT sessions, along with many therapist-patient examples and a step-by-step treatment guide. However, I am neither a Psychologist or a CBT therapist, just a patient with GAD and had no problems reading it and in fact really enjoyed it. The two writers of this book did a shockingly impressive job. The book has just enough information to be succinct while being thorough enough to give the reader a solid grasp on GAD and why they chose the cognitive model that they chose (with brief mentions of aspects of other models). It's packed with examples, which is awesome. It has a lot of basic statistics on the effectiveness of the treatment, and information on GAD misdiagnosis chances, etc., along with comprehensive diagnostic measures. It is clear that Dr. Dugas and Robichaud care deeply about their work, and making it practical. A must-get for anybody who thinks they are suffering from GAD, along with their self-help workbook.