Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Report

Abstract

In this case report, a 43-year-old female client with symptoms of Generalized Anxiety disorder according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria was treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. The client stated that he had been in a state of intense anxiety for the last year, and that this anxiety state, which he had difficulty in controlling, negatively affected his daily life. Seeing that the intense anxiety he experienced did not decrease over time, on the contrary, it continued to increase, the client applied for professional support. At the beginning of the therapy, the client was informed about Generalized Anxiety Disorder and its treatment process. Direct questions and directed discovery techniques were applied in order to help the client get out of this anxiety state, to gain awareness about the situation and to reveal the emotions and thoughts he experienced. With the applied techniques and treatment process, the emergence and re- evaluation of anxiety-causing situations was carried out. Behavioral and intellectual changes were observed as a result of the treatment applied.