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Health Topics/Mental Health

How can cognitive behavioral therapy help treat anxiety sensitivity?

Michael J. Mufson, MD
Michael J. Mufson, MD
Psychiatry
Research shows that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help people with anxiety sensitivity temper their anxious personalities and possibly prevent panic disorder.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to teach people that their anxiety-related sensations are harmless. For example, a patient may be asked to hyperventilate for a few minutes and then observe that the ensuing dizziness and palpitations don't have catastrophic results. Anyone with a high level of anxiety sensitivity (as measured, for example, by a brief questionnaire known as the Anxiety Sensitivity Index) may benefit from psychotherapy directed specifically toward that sensitivity.

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