Exposure Therapy for Late-life Anxiety

Launched by PROPERSONA · Jan 7, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at a treatment called exposure therapy (ET) for older adults dealing with anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder. The goal is to see how effective and cost-efficient ET is when delivered by specially trained mental health nurses compared to the usual care provided by general practitioners. Participants will receive eight 30-minute therapy sessions over 12 weeks and will fill out questionnaires to track their anxiety levels, quality of life, and costs related to their care.

To be eligible for the trial, participants should have a primary anxiety disorder as diagnosed by a specific interview. They need to be able to understand and speak Dutch, and they cannot have serious mental health issues or substance abuse problems that could affect their treatment. Throughout the study, participants will be monitored for improvements in their anxiety and overall well-being, and they will be followed up with for a year after the treatment ends. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to help improve how anxiety in older adults is treated in primary care settings.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • A primary DSM-5 anxiety disorder using the Mini Internationaal Neuropsychiatrisch Interview (MINI).
• • One of the following DSM-5 anxiety disorders will be diagnosed, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, Panic Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder.
• • Participants are required to be sufficient in Dutch.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Exclusion criteria include somatic and/or another psychiatric morbidity that could interfere with diagnosing or treatment.
• • Moderate to severe suicidality, which will be determined using the MINI
• • Chronic and interfering substance or alcohol abuse
• • Having received previous psychotherapy including exposure in the past year. -
• • Antidepressants and benzodiazepines use are allowed if on a stable dose for a minimum of 8 weeks.
• • Participants will be excluded if they score lower than 18 points on the MoCa (115). A score of \<18 is indicative for moderate to severe cognitive impairment. - Participants will be excluded if they are terminally ill.