Cognitive theories of anxiety propose that information-processing biases play a pivotal
role in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders (
1
). Along with the application of conditioning principles derived from learning theories,
such cognitive models inspired the development of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT),
now considered the first-line treatment for anxiety disorders (
2
,
3
). But although extensive evidence indicates that automatic attention is biased toward
threatening information in anxious individuals (
4
), such threat-related attention biases were typically thought to be outside the realm
of the direct therapeutic effects of CBT, which focuses primarily on the modification
of thoughts, interpretations, and beliefs (
3
).To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
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- Changes in automatic threat processing precede and predict clinical changes with exposure-based cognitive-behavior therapy for panic disorder.Biol Psychiatry. 2013; 73: 1064-1070
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 25,
2013
Received:
March 23,
2013
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Changes in Automatic Threat Processing Precede and Predict Clinical Changes with Exposure-Based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Panic DisorderBiological PsychiatryVol. 73Issue 11
- PreviewCognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression, but the mechanisms underlying successful intervention are far from understood. Although it has been a long-held view that psychopharmacological approaches work by directly targeting automatic emotional information processing in the brain, it is usually postulated that psychological treatments affect these processes only over time, through changes in more conscious thought cycles. This study explored the role of early changes in emotional information processing in CBT action.
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