Interpersonal Behaviour Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorders
Interpersonal therapy in the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The World Health Organization (2007) reported 14% of all people aged 16 to 85 years experienced a form of anxiety disorder. In Australia alone, 2.3 million Australian was diagnosed with 12-month anxiety disorder and the annual cost of anxiety disorders and other mental illness was estimated at 20 billion dollars (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Given its prevalence, development for an effective psychotherapy treatment for anxiety disorder is imperative. Interpersonal distress is a possible causal and maintaining factor for anxiety disorder (Borkovec, Newman, Pincus, & Lytle, 2002), and as interpersonal psychotherapy therapy allows treatment the treatment for such aspect of a client’s life (Hazlett-Stevens, 2008), the approach can yield successive result in treating anxiety.
This paper argues that interpersonal psychotherapy serves as an effective treatment method for clients exhibiting symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and will focus on the case of Jane who exhibits symptoms of such disorder. The nature of IPT and its relation with anxiety will be reviewed. Two empirical studies on the efficacy of IPT on anxiety disorders will be examined. This paper proposes IPT as the appropriate treatment for Jane’s disorder and offers two techniques of IPT as an effective treatment plan. Finally, issues with implementing treatment plan will also be explored.
Anxiety disorders encompasses a range of different disorders from specific phobias to obsessive-compulsive disorder (Wolfe, 2005), though they are ultimately bound together by the common trait of irrational fear and dread. A category of anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic anxiety condition characterised by excessive and uncontrollable worry, accompanied by somatic symptoms and sleep disturbances (Wolfe, 2005; Hazlett-Stevens, 2008). GAD is typically diagnosed when the symptoms of the patient does not
The World Health Organization (2007) reported 14% of all people aged 16 to 85 years experienced a form of anxiety disorder. In Australia alone, 2.3 million Australian was diagnosed with 12-month anxiety disorder and the annual cost of anxiety disorders and other mental illness was estimated at 20 billion dollars (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Given its prevalence, development for an effective psychotherapy treatment for anxiety disorder is imperative. Interpersonal distress is a possible causal and maintaining factor for anxiety disorder (Borkovec, Newman, Pincus, & Lytle, 2002), and as interpersonal psychotherapy therapy allows treatment the treatment for such aspect of a client’s life (Hazlett-Stevens, 2008), the approach can yield successive result in treating anxiety.
This paper argues that interpersonal psychotherapy serves as an effective treatment method for clients exhibiting symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and will focus on the case of Jane who exhibits symptoms of such disorder. The nature of IPT and its relation with anxiety will be reviewed. Two empirical studies on the efficacy of IPT on anxiety disorders will be examined. This paper proposes IPT as the appropriate treatment for Jane’s disorder and offers two techniques of IPT as an effective treatment plan. Finally, issues with implementing treatment plan will also be explored.
Anxiety disorders encompasses a range of different disorders from specific phobias to obsessive-compulsive disorder (Wolfe, 2005), though they are ultimately bound together by the common trait of irrational fear and dread. A category of anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic anxiety condition characterised by excessive and uncontrollable worry, accompanied by somatic symptoms and sleep disturbances (Wolfe, 2005; Hazlett-Stevens, 2008). GAD is typically diagnosed when the symptoms of the patient does not
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