In the last decade, tremendous progress has been made in understanding and addressing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a prevalent yet long-neglected syndrome associated with substantial functional impairment and reduced life satisfaction. This comprehensive, empirically based volume brings together leading authorities to review the breadth of current knowledge on the phenomenology, etiology, pathological mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of GAD. Provided are psychological and neurobiological models of the disorder that combine cutting-edge research and clinical expertise. Assessment strategies are detailed and promising intervention approaches described in depth, including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and pharmacological therapies. Also covered are special issues in the treatment of GAD in children, adolescents, and older adults.

This book collects the contribution of a selected number of clinical psychiatrists, interested in the clinical application of some aspects of neurobiology of anxiety. The seven chapters of the book address some issues related to the latest acquisitions of neurobiology, in particular those aspects that are related to responses to treatment - both psychological and pharmacological. Some chapters are also dedicated to the comorbidities, a rule rather than an exception when it comes to anxiety. Each author summarized the clinical importance of his work, underlining the clinical pitfalls of this new book on anxiety.

Anxiety disorders are amongst the most common of all mental health problems. Research in this field has exploded over recent years, yielding a wealth of new information in domains ranging from neurobiology to cultural anthropology to evidence-based treatment of specific disorders. This book offers a variety of perspectives on new developments and important controversies relevant to the theory, research, and clinical treatment of this class of disorders. Clinicians will find reviews of state-of-the-art treatments for panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as controversies over diagnostic and treatment issues. Researchers will find in-depth consideration of important selected topics, including genetics, neuroimaging, animal models, contemporary psychoanalytic theory, and the impact of stressors. This book illustrates the enormous advances that have occurred in anxiety research and describes the evolving multi-disciplinary efforts that will shape the future of the field.

The interactive computer-generated world of virtual reality has been successful in treating phobias and other anxiety-related conditions, in part because of its distinct advantages over traditional in vivo exposure. Yet many clinicians still think of VR technology as it was in the 1990s–bulky, costly, technically difficult–with little knowledge of its evolution toward more modern, evidence-based, practice-friendly treatment. These updates, and their clinical usefulness, are the subject of Advances in Virtual Reality and Anxiety Disorders, a timely guidebook geared toward integrating up-to-date VR methods into everyday practice. Introductory material covers key virtual reality concepts, provides a brief history of VR as used in therapy for anxiety disorders, addresses the concept of presence, and explains the side effects, known as cybersickness, that affect a small percentage of clients. Chapters in the book's main section detail current techniques and review study findings for using VR in the treatment of: · Claustrophobia. · Panic disorder, agoraphobia, and driving phobia. · Acrophobia and aviophobia. · Arachnophobia. · Social phobia. · Generalized anxiety disorder and OCD. · PTSD. · Plus clinical guidelines for establishing a VR clinic. An in-depth framework for effective (and cost-effective) therapeutic innovations for entrenched problems, Advances in Virtual Reality and Anxiety Disorders will find an engaged audience among psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health counselors.eractive

This book collects the contributions of a number of clinical psychiatrists all over the world, interested in developing basic research about anxiety and in applying it in clinical contexts. It is divided into four sections, covering general issues about anxiety (ethological and developmental ones), basic research issues on specific aspects of anxiety (bioanatomical ones, correlation with personality structure and so on), and new clinical and therapeutical proposals and hypothesis. Each author summarized the clinical importance of his work, underlining the clinical pitfalls of this publication.

Social anxiety disorder is persistent fear of (or anxiety about) one or more social situations that is out of proportion to the actual threat posed by the situation and can be severely detrimental to quality of life. Only a minority of people with social anxiety disorder receive help. Effective treatments do exist and this book aims to increase identification and assessment to encourage more people to access interventions. Covers adults, children and young people and compares the effects of pharmacological and psychological interventions. Commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The CD-ROM contains all of the evidence on which the recommendations are based, presented as profile tables (that analyse quality of data) and forest plots (plus, info on using/interpreting forest plots). This material is not available in print anywhere else.

Disorders of anxiety and substance use are, for some reason, rarely treated in an integrated fashion by professionals. This timely volume addresses this glaring omission with dispatches from the frontlines of research and treatment. Thirty-four international experts offer findings, theories, and intervention strategies for this common form of dual disorder, across a range of substances and of anxiety disorders, to give the reader comprehensive knowledge in a practical format.