Question: Is Psychoanalysis An Effective Treatment for Anxiety?
Answer: Psychoanalysis is a form of therapy that focuses on building insight into one's life and unconscious to create meaningful change. Many therapists operate from this orientation when treating people with generalized anxiety disorder, and many do see very significant improvements. There is less empirical (research) support for Psychoanalysis compared to other approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy, mostly because it is very difficult to study since the therapeutic approach is unique to each individual. Overall, psychotherapy in many forms, including psychoanalysis, has been shown to be effective treatment for GAD and a variety of other disorders.
