ANXIETY IN ADULTS: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IN INTERVENTION

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is considered a normal emotion, common in human experience, an adaptive defense mechanism since it functions to mediate the individual's interaction with the environment. Therefore, it is a warning sign, considering that it alerts the individual to imminent dangers and prompts them to take measures to face the threats. Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition where worry and fear become excessive, persistent, and disproportionate, significantly interfering with the individual's daily life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics and factors present in anxiety disorders in adults, their assessment, and intervention in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. METHODOLOGY: The method used was bibliographic and exploratory research. The materials used were scientific articles, books, and dissertations available in scientific databases published between 2011 and 2025. RESULTS: The results indicate that pathological anxiety is distinguished by its intensity, anachronistic character, repetitiveness, and disproportion to the environment, characterized by an unpleasant feeling of negative apprehension about the future. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: It is concluded that anxiety disorders are very frequent in adults, bringing many challenges and anxieties, causing significant impairment in the attempt to adapt and reconcile academic, professional, family, and social activities. Assessment and intervention in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) constitutes an integrated process with procedures involving strategies and techniques as well as the application of standardized and validated scales and questionnaires.