Treatment for Anxiety and Comorbid Depressive Disorders: Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies

Anxiety and depressive disorders are common psychiatric conditions with high rates of co-occurrence. Although traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) protocols targeting individual anxiety and depressive disorder diagnoses have been shown to be effective, such "single-diagnosis" approaches pose challenges for providers who treat patients with multiple comorbidities and for large-scale dissemination of and training in evidence-based psychological treatments. To help meet this need, newer "transdiagnostic" CBT interventions targeting shared underlying features across anxiety, depressive, and related disorders have been developed in recent years. Here we provide a rationale for and description of the transdiagnostic CBT model, followed by an overview of key therapeutic strategies included in transdiagnostic CBT protocols for patients with anxiety disorders and comorbid depression. We conclude with a brief review of the empirical evidence in support of transdiagnostic CBT for individuals with anxiety and depressive disorders and identify directions for future research.