My 30 year old daughter has a generalized anxiety disorder
(accompanied by depression) that she says is so severe she can't go
out and look for a job. She says just the thought of going out and
looking for a job provokes her anxiety. My daughter is already taking
anti-anxiety medication which provides modest benefit at best. She
wants me to give her financial support which I am willing to do but
only on a short term basis. I have only a rudimentary understanding of
cognitive behavior therapy but have heard that it may be more
effective than medications in treating generalized anxiety disorders.
I am sure such therapy is best administered by qualified psychologists
but obviously that is an expensive proposition and my daughter has no
insurance and no money and I just spent a huge amount of money getting
her through a drug rehab program. I am interested in knowing whether
there are any "self help" techniques that could be suggested. For
example, perhaps just getting her to make a committment to become
involved in a myriad of wholesome activities might tend to keep her
mind free of anxieties. Is that the type of thing a cognitive
therapist might recommend? Please describe the
cognitive behavior techniques commonly utilized by psychologists so I
can determine if any of them can be attempted without professional
intervention.

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 26 Aug 2006 13:14 PDT

Hello kitlandis-ga,

You said, "I just spent a huge amount of money getting her through a
drug rehab program." Does the program have a follow-up support
organization or structure? Most drug rehab programs have a significant
cognitive component to help the recovering user with their "stinking
thinking." The various 12-step programs have a strong cognitive
element and have helped thousands of people manage their lives.   They
are free and meetings are available at multiple times and locations
every week in most communities. Has your daughter tried these
programs? Thanks.

~ czh ~

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Clarification of Question by kitlandis-ga on 26 Aug 2006 14:30 PDT

My daughter did the 30 day rehab program at the Ranch, located about
50 miles from Nashville Tenn. She now lives in Redondo Beach, Calif. I
am sure the Ranch does not have any facilities or programs in
Californa. How could I find out about free or low cost programs in the
Redondo Beach area that might be open to her and that focus on
cognitive behavior therapy?
Thanks,
kitlandis

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Clarification of Question by kitlandis-ga on 27 Aug 2006 14:46 PDT

I am her father and I live in Santa Cruz, about five hours North of my
daughter's residence.

One book that covers cognitive therapy is "Feeling Good" by David Burns.
Awhile back, Dr. Aaron Beck or someone noticed that depressed people
would often make the same logic errors. Some of them are:

When something goes wrong, do you assume a disaster is on the horizon?
Do you assume that you know what others are thinking, or that they
know what you are thinking?
When someone is angry, do you assume that they are angry at you?
Do you assume that everything has to be perfect?
Do you compare yourself with people who have more, rather than with
people who have less?
Do you worry about things that have very little chance of coming true?
Do you worry too much about what you "should" do?
When something good happens, do you focus on the little part that isn't so good?
From what I've read about anxiety disorder, it may help your daughter
to start with volunteer or part-time work.

I know a half dozen people with anxiety disorder and don't see any of
them getting much better. It's very difficult. I'd recommend that she
apply for government disability as a backup.
I think meditation would be very helpful. Also she needs help in doing
things of increasing difficulty, until she can do things that had
caused her to have panic attacks.

I would check out this site as well: http://www.emofree.com/ , and
download the free EFT Manual which has self-help exercises designed to
dissolve negative thought patterns. The basic technique is described
on pages 20-28 of the manual.
    
Read about anxiety cases here:
http://www.emofree.com/articles.aspx?id=20
   
Best wishes.

1) Are you male or female
2) How geographically close are you to your daughter

She sounds a bit spooked, and is going for the easy solution.

At 30 she sounds a bit old to have worked out in 30 days

Hello
have you checked out the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center of Southern
California?

They have offices at South Bay - Torrance, 24445 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite
105 and  San Gabriel Valley - Glendale, 116 N. Maryland Ave., Suite
230.

Their website address is http://www.cbtsocal.com/

Regards
maurac

I understand your concern.

To be brutal she will leach on you, it is rational.
To be fair she probably has shattered nerves and a total lack of self confidence.

I am not convinced that you can 'buy' a solution, she just needs to be
uprooted and replanted in a different environment where things are
simpler and she can rebuild her self respect.

Generally that happens when people feel useful.