Zur Rolle der Exposition bei der Therapie von Angststörungen

Summary The Role of Exposure in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders In children, adolescents and adults, anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders. Cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be the most effective treatment with the highest evidence level for anxiety disorders in all age groups. With exposure as a key element of CBT and extinction as the underlying mechanism of exposure, most of the effectiveness of CBT has been attributed to the principle of extinction (inhibitory) learning. Considering also translational research, this article gives an overview of strategies for the enhancement of exposure-based treatments in children, adolescents, and adults. This overview includes introductions to strategies, such as massed or varied exposure, but also considers mechanisms, such as context conditioning, that increase the risk of relapse after successful therapy. A special emphasis is placed on cognitive enhancers like D-Cycloserin or cortisol that are ingested either before or after an exposure session to promote the neurological processes of extinction learning and the consolidation of extinction memory.