Does well-being improve when treating anxiety disorders?

What is it about?

This study examines how different aspects of well-being change during CBT treatment for different anxiety disorders. We looked at overall well-being as well as the domains of emotional well-being, social well-being, and psychological well-being. We examined 1) how much well-being changed during treatment, 2) whether improvements in well-being were maintained after treatment, and 3) whether changes in well-being predicted better recovery from anxiety disorders. We found that each of the CBT treatments produced robust changes in well-being, both overall and for the three areas, that improvements in well-being were stable across time, and that greater improvements in well-being predicted whether individuals had greater reductions in anxiety.

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Why is it important?

We know a great deal about how cognitive behavior therapies reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders, but much less is known about how these treatments promote positive aspects of mental health. The present study showed that these treatments can produce large and lasting increases in well-being, that this is consistent across different diagnoses and treatments, and that improvements in well-being are a useful predictor of recovery during treatment. These findings underscore the need to better examine positive aspects of mental health when studying treatments of mental illness.