Group therapy, more effective treatment against anxiety

CBT is a therapy meant to help people manage problems by promoting positive changes in the way they think and behave.

It is widely used to deal with anxiety and depression, as well as other mental and physical health problems, especially in adults.

This study showed that the only CBT group was evidently more effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety than other psychotherapies, believed to be psychotherapy handed over to a group format could result in better results for patients due to additional exposure of social incentives and interaction within the group's format.

This study is encouraging because it shows that there is a real benefit in long - established psychological treatments for teen anxiety disorders”, said research author Professor Andrea Cyprian of Oxford University's Psychiatry Department.

The study included 101 random clinical trials (with about 7,000 participants) that compared any psychotherapy structured to another psychotherapy or a condition of control for anxiety disorders in children and teenagers.

He also found that the CBT, delivered in various ways, was significantly useful compared to placebo or waiting list in terms of improving the quality of life of children and teenagers and functional improvement.