Integrated cognitive‑behavioral therapy for veterans with anxiety and risky drinking
Addressing Mental Health Comorbidities: Integrated CBT to Improve Functioning in Veterans with Co-Occurring Anxiety and Substance Use
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER · NIH-11220700
This project offers a combined cognitive‑behavioral therapy to help deployed veterans who have both anxiety and hazardous drinking improve their day‑to‑day functioning and quality of life.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (HOUSTON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11220700 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would be offered a unified, transdiagnostic form of cognitive‑behavioral therapy that targets both anxiety symptoms and hazardous drinking at the same time. The approach adapts the Unified Protocol to meet the needs of deployed veterans and focuses on emotional skills, coping strategies, and reducing alcohol‑related harms. Therapy is delivered through VA clinical services so you would work with trained providers rather than navigating separate clinics for each problem. The goal is to make treatment more efficient and to help you return to better work, family, and social functioning.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are deployed veterans who are experiencing an anxiety disorder (including PTSD) together with hazardous or risky alcohol use.
Not a fit: People who do not have both significant anxiety and hazardous drinking, those with active untreated psychosis or medical instability, or those unwilling to participate in CBT are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this combined therapy could reduce anxiety and risky drinking and improve everyday functioning and relationships for deployed veterans.
How similar studies have performed: Cognitive‑behavioral therapy and the Unified Protocol have shown benefits for emotional disorders, and CBT has helped with substance use, but applying a combined Unified Protocol specifically for deployed veterans with co‑occurring anxiety and hazardous drinking is a more recent approach.
Where this research is happening
HOUSTON, UNITED STATES
- MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER — HOUSTON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: ECKER, ANTHONY — MICHAEL E DEBAKEY VA MEDICAL CENTER
- Study coordinator: ECKER, ANTHONY
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Anxiety Disorders