Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
17 papers
This 2012 paper reviewed meta-analyses on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The authors found 269 meta-analytic studies and examined a representative sample of 106 reviews across many problems. They reported the strongest support for CBT for anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, bulimia, anger control problems, and general stress. The paper concluded the…
This small randomized trial tested a fully automated text-based conversational agent called Woebot as a way to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy to college-age young adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Over 2 weeks, the Woebot group (n=34) showed a statistically larger drop in depression scores (PHQ-9) than an information-only…
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), especially Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), teach people to pay nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. Reviews and randomized trials show MBIs can reduce anxiety and depression symptom severity across many groups, often doing better than non-evidence treatments or active controls and performing…
The source explains what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is and reports research comparing ACT with cognitive therapy (CT). In a randomized trial of 101 outpatients with moderate to severe anxiety or depression, people assigned to ACT or to CT showed large, similar improvements in depression, anxiety, daily functioning, quality…
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, often debilitating mental health disorder that may develop after a traumatic life event. Fortunately, effective psychological treatments for PTSD exist. In 2017, the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) and the American Psychological Association (APA) each published treatment guidelines for PTSD,…
This article reviews a large body of research on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. It focuses on two common CBT methods — exposure therapy and cognitive therapy — and concludes that CBT generally works for many anxiety problems. The authors also say it is hard to compare active CBT…
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most-studied treatments for alcohol and drug problems. Reviews of many trials find a small but real average benefit: a meta-analysis of 53 controlled trials reported an effect size of g = 0.15 and estimated that 58% of people given CBT did better…
The researchers created personalized brain circuit scores from both task-free and task-evoked fMRI scans in a large group of people with depression and anxiety. Using a standardized processing method, they measured 41 circuit features across six brain systems and used those measures to define six distinct “biotypes.” These biotypes showed…
This randomized, controlled trial tested a brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for 41 patients with chronic subjective dizziness. The program was three weekly sessions led by a clinical psychologist and used psychoeducation, behavioral experiments, exposure, and attention refocusing. After treatment, patients showed large, significant reductions in dizziness-related disability, physical…
This randomized noninferiority clinical trial examines the effect of internet-delivered vs face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy especially in light of resources, access, and cost.
This review says cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a well-researched, first-line treatment for anxiety and related disorders. CBT is structured and often manualized, usually delivered weekly for a limited period (about 12–16 weeks) and sometimes followed by booster sessions. Core CBT methods are cognitive techniques (like identifying thinking traps, cognitive restructuring,…
This randomized clinical trial tested 12 sessions of manualized group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with individual coaching in 88 adults with ADHD. Participants were randomly assigned to CBT alone (n = 46) or CBT plus medication (n = 42). The combined treatment produced greater improvements in ADHD symptoms, organizational skills,…
