Question 1

How do I treat specific anxiety disorders?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 2

How do I treat GAD specifically?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 3

What is the best treatment for social anxiety disorder?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 4

How do I treat panic disorder?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 5

What works for specific phobias?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 6

How do I treat separation anxiety in children and adults?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 7

What is the evidence-based treatment for selective mutism?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 8

Should I use transdiagnostic or disorder-specific treatment?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 9

What are the cognitive models for each anxiety disorder?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

Question 10

How does GAD differ from other anxiety disorders?

Accepted Answer

Each anxiety disorder has distinct cognitive maintaining mechanisms that guide disorder-specific treatment. GAD involves three competing models (Borkovec, Dugas, Wells) with treatment matched to mechanism. Social anxiety requires Clark and Wells' behavioral experiments, not generic exposure — individual CBT achieves the largest effect sizes in the anxiety psychotherapy literature. Panic responds to interoceptive exposure (OR 7.69 for IE-heavy vs relaxation-heavy packages). Specific phobias can be treated in a single 3-hour session (OST). Separation anxiety is a lifespan disorder with 77.5% of adult cases onset de novo. Selective mutism is an anxiety-driven freeze requiring school-based behavioral protocols. When comorbidity is the rule, transdiagnostic protocols (UP, Norton) match disorder-specific outcomes with better retention.

PsychHQ

How Do I Treat Specific Anxiety Disorders?