Combined pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Both pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy are effective treatments for anxiety disorders. The present editorial reviews the current status of combination treatments with a focus on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and reviews that have been published in the past 3 years.


RESULTS
Recent studies on treatments combining pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders have found little benefit for combination therapies versus monotherapies. New investigations have explored the potential benefits of sequential treatments versus the concomitant ones as well as the use of cognitive enhancers as adjuncts to psychotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Uncertainty exists as to whether the combination of cognitive-behavioural therapy and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders is associated with greater overall efficacy than with either treatment when given alone. New ways for combining the two types of treatments are being investigated.
Pull
Charles B
CB
Department of Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Luxembourg. pull.charles@chl.lu
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs