Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is generally treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), medication, or both. Cognitive behavior therapy is especially useful for treating GAD. It teaches a person different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations that help him or her feel less anxious and worried. Click for more information on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Los Angeles.

CBT treatment for G.A.D. is highly effective. Studies have shown CBT to significantly reduce anxiety symptoms in 80% of patients without medication.  Follow this link to a chart comparing the effectiveness of CBT to other treatments for G.A.D. CBT for Generalized Anxiety Disorder includes some combination of the following treatment interventions:

Relaxation Training. This intervention involves teaching people ways to reduce their overall level of anxiety through breathing re-training and progressive muscle relaxation. With practice, patients learn to condition a powerful relaxation response that can be evoked in a few seconds. 

Mindfulness Strategies. Mindfulness, a practice borrowed from Buddhism, helps people develop a different relationship to their anxiety-producing thoughts. Through mindfulness, the patient can learn to objectively observe their thoughts rather than attempting to avoid or change what is being experienced. 

Cognitive Restructuring. This technique helps people evaluate their worries and learn new patterns of thinking that do not make them as prone to anxiety. 

Exposure therapy. This therapy helps people face and control their fear. It works off the idea that anxiety is maintained by avoiding feared situations. This therapy exposes patients to situations they would otherwise avoid until anxiety ceases in the face of the feared situation or event. 

Click for more information about Symptoms and Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)