Anxiety-type disorders are an extremely common occurrence in our fast-paced, modern society. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) approximately one in five adults and approximately one in four adolescents (aged 13-18) are experiencing anxiety disorders or symptoms of such. (National Institute of Mental Health). Anxiety disorders generally are the result of excessive stress that leads to dysfunction. Yet there is a way to understand the underpinnings of anxiety and treat them using cognitive behavioral therapy.
Little was understood about treatment of anxiety disorders until 1981, when Joseph Wolpe introduced Desensitization therapy also known as exposure therapy. Wolpe figured out that phobias and fears were caused by intense feelings of anxiousness that were associated with stimuli. Wolpe proposed …show more content…
The first step in treatment is always psychoeducation or learning about what causes the symptoms (in this case: anxiety). The patient is educated on how avoidance is reinforced by anxiety as well as learning the value of self-monitoring and noticing what causes anxiety (Petersen, Sprich, & Wilhelm, 2016). They also learn about the mechanics and mechanisms of anxiety disorders in order to attain a firmer grasp on what they are experiencing. Once the patient can monitor what hey are going through the therapist will ask them to weigh the actual possibility of their predicted outcomes such as, others laughing at them in public due to their image or even catastrophic outcomes such as getting hit by a car as they leave their home. By realizing the unlikelihood of many of these situations the patient can be placed at greater ease and will have less autonomic arousal thus less panic/anxiety. These processes also help the patient break free from automatic thinking patterns and analyze the individual situation in order to judge whether arousal is
Little was understood about treatment of anxiety disorders until 1981, when Joseph Wolpe introduced Desensitization therapy also known as exposure therapy. Wolpe figured out that phobias and fears were caused by intense feelings of anxiousness that were associated with stimuli. Wolpe proposed …show more content…
The first step in treatment is always psychoeducation or learning about what causes the symptoms (in this case: anxiety). The patient is educated on how avoidance is reinforced by anxiety as well as learning the value of self-monitoring and noticing what causes anxiety (Petersen, Sprich, & Wilhelm, 2016). They also learn about the mechanics and mechanisms of anxiety disorders in order to attain a firmer grasp on what they are experiencing. Once the patient can monitor what hey are going through the therapist will ask them to weigh the actual possibility of their predicted outcomes such as, others laughing at them in public due to their image or even catastrophic outcomes such as getting hit by a car as they leave their home. By realizing the unlikelihood of many of these situations the patient can be placed at greater ease and will have less autonomic arousal thus less panic/anxiety. These processes also help the patient break free from automatic thinking patterns and analyze the individual situation in order to judge whether arousal is