Worriers wanted for self-help study

February 14, 2008

Psychologists at the University of New England are looking for chronic worriers to participate in a study to see whether a self-help book could help people suffering from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

GAD is a type of anxiety disorder characterised by excessive, uncontrollable worrying about everyday things--often out of all proportion with the actual source of the worry. The disorder is relatively common, affecting as much as 4 per cent of the general population. People with GAD may suffer a variety of symptoms in addition to worrying, including fatigue, muscle tension and insomnia.

"There are worriers, and there are worriers," said Dr John Malouff, the psychologist overseeing the study. "The people we're looking for will have worried about a wide variety of things for at least six months."

For the purposes of the study it doesn't matter whether the participants have actually been diagnosed with GAD, but they cannot be undergoing any other treatment for the disorder.

Participants will receive a free self-help manual written by two of the world's leading authorities on GAD. By reading the book and following its advice, they will learn relaxation methods, problem-solving strategies and ways to change their thinking--the same treatments that have proven effective in treating the disorder when administered by a trained psychologist in a therapy situation.

The study is expected to take several weeks to complete.

"What we're trying to see is whether people can achieve the same results as therapy without having to go to a therapist," Dr Malouff said. "We know that self-help books can be effective in treating a wide variety of disorders, and we want to know whether they can help people with GAD, too."

Self-help books had a number of advantages over therapy, Dr Malouff said, including affordability, convenience and avoiding the stigma some people associated with seeing a therapist.

People interested in participating in the study should contact Dr Malouff at jmalouff@une.edu.au.

Posted by Leon Braun at February 14, 2008 12:34 PM