Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, involves talking to a trained
mental health professional about the problem. The form of psychotherapy
most effective against anxiety disorder seems to be
cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT. The therapy has two goals: to change thinking
patterns that prevent people from overcoming their phobias, and to alter how
people respond to the situations that cause anxiety.
The cognitive aspect of the therapy focuses on helping patients see the
situation from a different perspective. For instance, a person with
social anxiety disorder can be helped by being shown that the people
around them aren’t watching them and judging their behavior.
The behavioral aspect focuses on helping people develeop more realistic
and effective ways to respond to the things that cause them anxiety.
One of the primary ways of accomplishing this is through exposure, a
process in which the patient is encouraged to face the things that cause
them fear and anxiety. A person with social anxiety, for example, would
be encouraged to spend more time around people, to help them realize
that social situations aren’t necessarily traumatic experiences. By
interacting with people more frequently, they should become more at ease in
public, and eventually the anxiety should dissipate.
CBT usually lasts about 12 weeks, and is conducted either in group or
private sessions. It can be combined with medications, which is the
preferred approach in many cases. The therapist often gives the patients
“homework” assignments, specific tasks for the patient to accomplish or
work on in between treatment sessions.