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Case-Series Evaluating a Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioural Treatment for Co-occurring Anxiety Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2014

Freda McManus ,
Gavin Clark ,
Kate Muse  and
Roz Shafran
Freda McManus*
Affiliation:
University of Stirling, Scotland
Gavin Clark
Affiliation:
University of New England, Australia
Kate Muse
Affiliation:
University of Worcester, UK
Roz Shafran
Affiliation:
UCL Institute of Child Health, London
*
Reprint requests to Freda McManus, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland. E-mail: f.v.mcmanus@stir.ac.uk
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Abstract

Background: Patients with anxiety disorder diagnoses commonly have more than one anxiety diagnosis. While cognitive-behavioural interventions have proven efficacy in treating single anxiety disorder diagnoses, there has been little investigation of their efficacy in treating co-occurring anxiety disorders. Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural intervention for treating co-occurring anxiety disorders. Method: An A-B single case study design (N = 6) was used to evaluate the efficacy of a 12 to 13-session modular transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural intervention for treating co-occurring anxiety disorders across patients with at least two of the following diagnoses: GAD, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder and/or OCD. Results: Five of the six participants completed treatment. At posttreatment assessment the five treatment completers achieved diagnostic and symptomatic change, with three participants being diagnosis free. All participants who completed treatment no longer met criteria for any DSM-IV-TR Axis-I diagnosis at the 3-month follow-up assessment, and demonstrated reliable and clinically-significant improvements in symptoms. Across the participants, statistically significant improvements from pre to postintervention were found on measures of anxiety, depression and general well-being, and all improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: Results suggest that transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural interventions can be of benefit to patients with co-occurring anxiety disorders.

Keywords

Anxiety disorderco-morbidtransdiagnosticcognitive behavioural treatmentcase-series
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 43 , Issue 6 , November 2015 , pp. 744 - 758
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2014 

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