Treating anxiety comorbidity: Lessons from exposure generalization studies

Abstract

Comorbidity is a characteristic hallmark of anxiety disorders. Presence of comorbid anxiety and depression is challenging to the diagnosis and treatment. Conventional and transdiagnostic treatment options for anxiety disorders strongly depend on the use of exposure. Recent compelling evidence suggests that the beneficial effects of exposure therapy are transferable across different fear- and anxiety provoking situations and might even affect depressive symptomatology. We provide an overview of findings on existing studies on generalization of exposure effects to untreated stimuli and depression. Potential mechanisms which contribute to generalization of beneficial exposure therapy effects, such as extinction generalization, mastery-related increases in self-efficacy and underlying neural changes are presented and discussed. Understanding and promoting mechanisms related to exposure therapy efficacy and generalization can expedite and enhance the development of more effective transdiagnostic therapy approaches for comorbid anxiety disorders.