Abstract
In controlled outcome studies of behavioural psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder the most encouraging results to date are from treatments which combine cognitive and behavioural techniques and where treatment is presented within a structured self-help framework. Questions remain however, as to which components of therapy are important and what the mechanisms of change are. A definitive conclusion about the overall effectiveness of behavioural psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder is precluded by a number of methodological problems, including an absence of long term follow-up.