Treating Anxiety Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    Constant worry and irritability characterize generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It also has the effect of causing muscle tension and headaches as well as sweating and an inability to concentrate.  In a student or any person hoping to be engaged constructively in society, it can be difficult for that person to realize their hopes and ambitions. Constant worrying
is not ideal for any person. It has the effect of disorienting and frustrating the individual. Since GAD can be treated with proper care and appropriate training techniques, it is important to develop a plan for treating and rehabilitating such a person.
The use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is influential in treating people suffering from GAD. CBT involves the use of techniques such as restructuring of the cognitive abilities as well as relaxation. Additionally, anxiety disorders can be treated through modification of behavior, exposure to worry and to ask the affected individual to try problem-solving skills. The use of anxiolytics is also useful in the treatment of GAD.
In this paper, I will describe how to treat GAD using CBT and antidepressants. Additionally, I will develop a log of my activities and their time frame as well as efficacy over a period of 1 week. The behavior of the subject will be studied in depth to come up with a prognosis. After observing the client over a period of one week, I came to the conclusion that the patient was affected by GAD. He exhibited symptoms that were characterized in paragraph one above. The client, a student in high school, showed constant worry about his chances of going to college after high school. The pressure to excel was just too much for the student, a situation that seemed to exacerbate his already fickle position. The parents were piling too much pressure, albeit knowingly. In such circumstances, the student expressed despair and sometimes would sweat profusely during exams and classwork.  He was irritable most of the time, and would even curse loudly when he failed to get a problem right. The cause of this condition was pressure from parents, whom the student described as strict. Another cause for this was low self-esteem and a lack of belief in the self, something that seemed to affect him a lot.
In treating the student’s GAD, I followed a strict regime that requires a seven-step self-help process. The self-help program first links behavior with thoughts and feelings. The student is expected to think of what goes through his mind whenever he is anxious. After this, the student was then asked to write down what he noticed about his body during such situations. The therapist (me) worked together with the client to overcome behavioral obstacles. After this, I gave the client some assignments to complete after each session. I used role playing, techniques such as guided discoveries (in which the student is guided to identify solutions until he is confident enough to come up with solutions on his own).
Further, I used imagery to try and paint the picture for the student to comprehend the tasks quickly. I tried teaching the student some life skills such as how to communicate efficiently and bravely. I attempted to schedule pleasurable experiences to attempt to draw his attention from the negative thoughts and bad experiences. Some of these experiences include watching movies that the client liked and reminded him of his younger sister, whom he loved profusely. I had little success in treating the anxiety disorder over a five day period, although I covered some ground at the diagnosis stage. The student responded positively to my questions and was willing to participate in the process, but the time frame was not enough to try all my skills at attempting to modify behavior.