Abstract
Background: Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and other types belong to one of the most common mental disorders and impact millions of people around the world regardless of the age or the gender. These disorders are evidenced by excessive fear, worry, and associated behavioural distressing which inhibit normal behavioural patterns and prevents the sufferer from performing activities of daily living hence have a high cost to society.
Aim: The purpose of the current research is to assess the outcomes as well as the advantages of Traditional CBT in the treatment of the anxiety disorders and to compare its efficiency with the modified techniques like iCBT, MBCT, ACT.
Methods: RCTs, Systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and Prospective cohort studies are the types of study design in the present systematic review. The participants were identified by certain inclusion and exclusion criteria related to age, sex, confirmed anxiety disorder, and intensity of symptoms. Both Traditional CBT and the emerging variants of it were described regarding the interventions while the primary outcomes included the usual clinical scales such as HAM-A and GAD-7. Secondary measures concerned well-being, functional status and the presence and severity of other diseases. Data collection protocol was pre-treatment, post-treatment assessment and follow up; statistical analysis was done using comparison of means, regression analysis and intention-to-treat analysis.
Results: It demonstrates that Traditional CBT is indeed highly effective for the reduction of anxiety symptoms, with the healthy effect size, symptom reduction percent and remission rate in general. Other comparative e-ICBT programs point to its effectiveness in achieving similar efficacy outcomes in the now-emerging variants but entails such advantages as higher levels of accessibility and adherence rates. Mindfulness expands the salient feature of CBT in that apart from cognitive restructuring, clients reap other benefits such as reduced stress and enhanced self-regulation. ACT shows a more notable success when there is an emphasis on resistance because it encompasses the theme of psychological flexibility.
Conclusion: Standard CBT is regarded as very efficacious for anxiety disorders; modifications of it have advantages for some categories of patients. The implementation of these newly developing subtypes for clinical usage improves the treatment models which can be tailored according to the patient’s requirements. The next steps in clinical practice, therefore, include further studying on these approaches to perfect the treatment for anxiety disorders.
Keywords: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Anxiety Disorders, Internet-Based CBT (iCBT), Mindfulness-Based CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychological Treatments, Mental Health, Therapy Efficacy, Treatment Comparison, Personalized Treatment Plans.