BIBLIOTHERAPY FOR ANXIETY

CLINICAL GUIDELINES

The Canadian clinical practice guidelines for the management of anxiety, posttraumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders (2014) state the following regarding self-help bibliotherapy:

CBT can be effectively delivered as individual or group therapy for most anxiety and related disorders. In addition, a variety of self-directed or minimal intervention formats (e.g., bibliotherapy/self-help books, or internet/ computer-based programs with or without minimal therapist contact) have demonstrated significant improvements in anxiety symptoms.

For panic disorder and agoraphobia, specifically: Minimal intervention formats, such as self-help books (bibliotherapy), treatment via telephone/ videoconferencing, and internet-based CBT have been shown to be more effective than wait-list or relaxation controls, as effective as face-to-face CBT, and may be cost-effective options particularly for agoraphobic patients who are unwilling or unable to attend a clinic. When using bibliotherapy, providing information all at one time was as effective as pacing, and therapist support does not appear to be essential.

CLINICAL TRIALS, SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS & META-ANALYSES

• Lewis, C., Pearce, J., & Bisson, J. I. (2012). Efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of self-help interventions for anxiety disorders: Systematic review. British Journal of Psychiatry, 200(1), 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.110.084756