Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders: a concise review

• Provides a concise, up-to-date review of ACT for anxiety disorders.
• Addresses ACT's efficacy relative to more established cognitive behavioral treatments.
• Reviews recent evidence on mediators and moderators of ACT for anxiety disorders.

This article provides a concise, up-to-date review of the most rigorous randomized clinical trials of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of anxiety disorders. We address ACT's efficacy compared to more established cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) and review recent evidence on mediators and moderators of ACT for anxiety disorders. Reviewing the most rigorous extant studies shows that ACT provides a viable alternative to more established forms of CBT for adult anxiety disorders, specifically for generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and mixed anxiety disorder samples. ACT thus represents an increasingly evidence-based approach for the treatment of anxiety disorders. We conclude by highlighting limitations and future directions for this emerging area.