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Behavioral Interventions Help Prevent Anxiety Disorders (JAMA Psychiatry)

By Dr Deepu

Meta-analysis finds small, but significant benefit to these programs
Psychological and/or educational interventions showed a modest benefit for preventing anxiety disorders, a systematic review and meta-analysis found.Researchers  published the data  JAMA Psychiatry. The researchers examined 29 randomized controlled trials comprising over 10,000 patients from 11 countries, and found a small, but significant benefit from psychological and/or educational interventions on anxiety prevention compared to usual care. Most trials examined the benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy, either individualized or through a computerized self-help format. Other examined interventions included psycho-educational, acceptance and commitment therapy and psychosocial interventions.
The significance of the study is this being the first meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of these methods in anxiety prevention, the authors quoted, and suggested that implementing prevention programs that target a large population could have significant benefit.
I feel this could have a significant contribution in management of stress and anxiety in COPD, which is an ignored entity as of now. Treating these problems will have a positive impact on patients life and he can cope up with his problems with ease.