Cognitive-behavioral treatment of a person with generalized anxiety disorder

Abstract

A case of a 36-year-old woman who asked help by the presence of panic attacks is reported. After assessment, it was considered that the main problem was the presence of excessive and persistent anxiety and worries. Forty-three sessions of cognitive-behavioral treatment were conducted, two with her husband. Panic attacks were addressed with psychoeducation, training in controlled breathing and cognitive restructuring, whereas the excessive worries were addressed with stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, training in problem solving, behavioral experiments and imaginal exposure. Patient’s reports and scores on questionnaires indicated a clinically significant improvement that, we believe, can be mainly attributed to behavioral experiments and imaginal exposure