Antidepressant Treatment Plus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Older Adults

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study will assess whether adding cognitive behavioral therapy to the antidepressant escitalopram is effective in reducing anxiety in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Veterans Medical Research Foundation
• Collaborator: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Treatments: Citalopram; Dexetimide

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Principal (i.e., most severe or pressing problem) or co-principal current diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder

• Pretreatment score of at least 17 on Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale

Exclusion Criteria:

• Principal diagnosis other than GAD

• Clinically judged too psychiatrically unstable to participate in the study

• Cognitive impairment or dementia

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder within 6 months prior to study entry

• Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, or bipolar disorder

• Serious, unstable, or terminal medical condition that would compromise study participation or preclude the use of escitalopram, as determined by a review of medical records

• Use of psychotropics that could not be safely tapered and discontinued for at least 2 weeks prior to study entry

• Use of depot neuroleptics within 6 weeks prior to study entry

• Unwillingness to terminate other forms of psychotherapy

• Already received adequate trial of escitalopram or CBT