Integrating illness concerns into cognitive behavioral therapy for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and co-occurring anxiety

Purpose To examine the feasibility and preliminary benefits of an integrative cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and anxiety. Design and Methods Nine adolescents participated in a CBT program at their gastroenterologist's office. Structured diagnostic interviews, self‐report measures of anxiety and pain, and physician‐rated disease severity were collected pretreatment and post‐treatment. Results Postintervention, 88% of adolescents were treatment responders, and 50% no longer met criteria for their principal anxiety disorder. Decreases were demonstrated in anxiety, pain, and disease severity. Practice Implications Anxiety screening and a mental health referral to professionals familiar with medical management issues is important.