Newby, J.M., Mewton, L., Williams, A.D., & Andrews, G. (2014). Effectiveness of transdiagnostic internet cognitive behavioural treatment for mixed anxiety and depression in primary care. Journal of Affective Disorders, 165, 45-52. PMID: 24882176.
Most internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs have focused on one or two specific disorders. In this study, the authors tested the efficacy of a transdiagnostic iCBT program, which incorporated techniques to treat multiple depressive and anxiety disorders. Primary care patients in Australia (n=707) were referred by their primary care providers. In this open trial, all participants had access to the transdiagnostic iCBT program, named “Depression and Anxiety Program”. Each participant completed assessments on their mental health symptoms before and after completing the program. Overall, 75% of participants were diagnosed with more than one disorder, and 30% met criteria for all four disorders. Compared to the initial assessment, anxiety and depressive symptoms were all decreased at the post-intervention assessment. The program had large effects on depression and GAD, and medium effects on social anxiety and panic disorder symptoms. These results show that transdiagnostic iCBT treatment is feasible and potentially efficacious for a wide variety of depressive and anxiety diagnoses.