Cognitive-behavior therapy for late-life generalized anxiety disorder in primary care - Preliminary findings

Objective: The authors present data from a pilot research program initiated to develop, reline, and test the outcomes of CBT-GAD/PC, a version of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) that targets the needs of older adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in primary care (PC). Methods: The study involved a small, randomized clinical trial comparing the impact of CBT-GAD/PC to usual care (UC) in a sample of 12 older medical patients with GAD. Results: Outcome data suggested significant improvements in worry and depression after CBT-GAD/PC, relative to UC. Conclusion: Authors discuss results in terms of the real-world applicability of this treatment for late-life GAD, and present implications for future research.