The utility of a brief large group psychoeducational program for patients waiting for cognitive-behavioural treatment of anxiety
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Date
2018-08-23
Authors
Ren, Hongru
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Abstract
Anxiety disorders are very common and are characterized by feelings of excessive fear that disrupt quality of life (Kampman, Viikki, & Leinonen, 2017). The symptoms of anxiety (e.g. palpitations, racing thoughts, and tachypnea) are a part of the normal sympathetic response to threat (Nash & Potokar, 2004). However, if the threat stimulus for this ‘fight or flight’ response is generalized to everyday challenges required for functioning, then anxiety becomes a disorder (Nash & Potokar, 2004). A 2014 survey estimated the one-year prevalence of mood and/or anxiety disorders is 11.6% in Canadian adults (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014). The estimated lifetime prevalence for all anxiety disorders is 16.6% (Somers, Goldner, Waraich, & Hsu, 2006). Unfortunately, only about 20% of Canadians suffering from a mental health condition receive any psychological treatment (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2014). This might be due in part to long wait times and a lack of financially accessible options.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is an extensively studied and effective method for treating anxiety (Cuijpers, Cristea, Karyotaki, Reijnders, & Huibers, 2016; Hans & Hiller, 2013; Olatunji, Cisler, & Deacon, 2010). The basis of CBT is that a person’s physical reactions, behaviours, thoughts, and emotions are intrinsically interconnected, and that when someone is experiencing behavioral, mental, or emotional dysfunction, they can change their actions and thoughts to be more adaptive and therefore positively influence their emotions (e.g. decrease anxiety) (Mann & Whitfield, 2008). The Anxiety Disorders Clinic at St. Boniface Hospital, a tertiary, publicly-funded, treatment centre staffed by CBT-trained psychologists, has historically treated patients using disorder-specific CBT protocols that are traditional-length, usually 6 to 12 weeks (Mann & Whitfield, 2008). However, there were significant barriers to accessing this service due to long wait lists (18 to 24 months).
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Keywords
cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), QuickStart, Care as Usual, anxiety
Citation
AMA