Self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: an overview.
Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and are associated with a marked impairment in quality of life and a huge economic cost to society. Unfortunately, a considerable number of people who struggle with anxiety do not seek or receive adequate treatment. Self-help interventions have been proposed to constitute a relatively cheap, effective, efficient, and low-threshold intervention for anxiety disorders. This paper offers a critical discussion of their advantages and disadvantages and the evidence for their effectiveness. We conclude that guided self-help can play a major role in mental health care for patients with anxiety disorders. However, several research questions need to be answered before broad-scale dissemination is possible. The Internet will continue to play a prominent role in the further development of this field of research and clinical practice.
Cuijpers
Pim
P
Department of Clinical Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. P.Cuijpers@psy.vu.nl
Schuurmans
Josien
J
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003887:Desensitization, Psychologic; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome