Treatment of Late-life Anxiety in Primary Care Settings

Treatment of Late-life Anxiety in Primary Care Settings

The research study proposed is designed to examine the outcomes of a cognitive behavioral guided self-care intervention with older adults diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and recruited from a primary care setting. It is hypothesized that the cognitive behavioral guided self-care intervention will produce greater declines in worry and anxiety than enhanced usual care.

Inclusion Criteria:

• age ≥ 60 years
• a DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD
• able to read English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• current psychotherapy
• a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol or substance abuse
• a diagnosis of dementia or global cognitive impairment operationalized as a score of < 24 of the Mini-Mental Status Examination
• psychotic symptoms
• active suicidal ideation