Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback as Adjunctive Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Case Report

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric disorder that can cause significant functional impairment to a patient's life. Mind body therapies (MBT) have increasingly been used as an intervention to manage symptoms of anxiety. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is a specific MBT that utilizes real-time feedback on autonomic functioning to train the physiological stress response through diaphragmatic breathing.

A 39-year-old female was referred for a seven-week HRV biofeedback training protocol at Bastyr University Clinic for adjunctive treatment of GAD and depression. She had been taking citalopram for approximately four months prior to the first visit.

After completing the seven-week protocol, the patient's anxiety improved from severe to mild, and her depression improved from mild to minimal. This improvement was maintained at a four-week follow-up, and eight weeks after the final visit she reported that her anxiety was no longer a concern to her. HRV biofeedback demonstrated to be an effective adjunctive treatment for GAD in this patient's case; however further research is needed to elucidate the effects of HRV biofeedback in patients with GAD.