Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Integrating Traditional with Digital Treatment Approaches.

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are an enormous societal burden given their high lifetime prevalence among adult populations worldwide. A variety of anxiety disorders can be successfully treated with psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), either as stand-alone individual or group treatment or as adjunctive treatment to pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence suggests that therapist-guided Internet-delivered CBT (iCBT) and, to some degree, digitalized mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions may be an efficacious complement to traditional face-to-face therapy. In view of the current advances regarding the integration of traditional and innovative treatment approaches, this chapter provides an overview on the theory and evidence base for different delivery modes of CBT-related interventions for specific phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder in adults. Finally, implications for clinical practice and research will be derived, and future directions for the psychological treatment of anxiety disorders will be outlined.