Cognitive behavior therapy may ease anxiety: changing the way you think about problems can reduce worry and lead to healthier behaviors.(MIND & MEMORY)

If you find yourself worrying more and more about your health and the health of your loved ones, or feeling more anxious about money and everyday activities, such as shopping or traveling, you may find relief in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

WHAT IS CBT? In CBT, you learn how to prioritize your worries and concerns and to think differently about situations, so that, over time, how you feel and behave will lead to less stress and healthier outcomes.

For example, rather than become overwhelmed at the challenge of making a cross-country airplane trip with two stopovers, CBT would help you examine the many aspects of the trip in a step-by-step manner and see how each step can be taken more easily.

In a study led by Melinda Stanley, PhD, head of the division of psychology at the Baylor College of Medicine, older adults with generalized anxiety disorder achieved significant improvements on measures of worry, depression and mental health after a year of CBT. The study of 134 adults (average age 67), published in the April 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), divided the subjects into two groups--one that received CBT and one in which participants had biweekly phone conversations with therapists who provided support and ensured patient safety. Compared to the telephone therapy group, the CBT group reported significantly better responses to worry severity, depressive symptoms and general mental health.

"CBT is designed to help people change ways of thinking and behavior that have problematic outcomes," Dr. Stanley says. "In the case of anxiety and mood problems, people learn to identify thoughts and behaviors that lead to anxiety and depression. Then they learn to change those thoughts and behaviors using various types of learned skills to improve mood."

HOW CBT WORKS. CBT sessions typically last 30 to 60 minutes, Dr. Stanley says, and they are led by someone specifically trained in CBT. It could be a psychologist, social worker or a counselor.

She explains that the therapy for worry and anxiety includes many components such as correcting inaccurate thoughts, encouraging involvement in more enjoyable activities and developing better problem-solving skills to ensure patients are equipped for a variety of challenges in their lives. "We talk about providing patients with toolboxes filled with tools or skills that they can use to manage worry or ...