Cognitive-behavior therapy for generalized anxiety in late life: An evaluative overview

Of the pervasive anxiety disorders diagnosed in late life, generalized anxi ety disorder (GAD) is the most prevalent. In this paper, the clinical featu res of GAD among older adults are described, with particular attention to d ifferences in the nature of relevant symptoms among older and younger cohor ts. Outcome studies addressing the efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy ( CBT) for younger and middle-aged adults with GAD then are reviewed briefly. Next, early literature investigating the potential usefulness of cognitive -behavioral treatments among older anxious community volunteers is then rev iewed and critiqued in some detail. More recent work, some of which is curr ently in progress, has focused on the efficacy of CBT for older adults with well-diagnosed GAD. This research also is reviewed, and directions for fut ure research in this area are provided. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.