Updated anxiety guidelines recommend online CBT first line
It is an effective, low-cost option, says psychiatry college
Online CBT ticks many boxes as a first-line treatment for anxiety in adults, says a psychiatrist who has helped develop new clinical guidelines.
Associate Professor Lisa Lampe says digital therapies are an attractive option where access to psychologists is difficult or because of the wait-lists and costs involved.
New clinical practice guidelines from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) recommend CBT as first-line treatment and reaffirm SSRIs or SNRIs as first-line pharmacological therapies.
Professor Lampe, a member of the RANZCP Anxiety Disorders Working Group and associate professor at the University of Newcastle, says digital CBT provides easy access to patients.
