Positive Valence System Enhancement Treatment for Anxiety and Depression: Clinical Efficacy and Neural Changes

Exclusion Criteria

• •1. No telephone or easy access to telephone.
• •2. Any substance use disorder in the past year except subjects with mild alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and marijuana use disorders will be permitted in the study.
• •3. Bipolar I or Psychotic disorders.
• •4. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury with evidence of neurological deficits, neurological disorders, or severe or unstable medical conditions that might be compromised by participation in the study.
• •5. Current and regular use (more days than not during the past 30 days) of a medication that could affect brain functioning, such as anxiolytics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, beta-blockers, sleep medications, opioids/codeine, migraine medications.
• •6. MRI contraindications including: cardiac pacemaker, metal fragments in eyes/skin/body (shrapnel), aortic/aneurysm clips, prosthesis, by-pass surgery/coronary artery clips, hearing aid, heart valve replacement, shunt (ventricular or spinal), electrodes, metal plates/pins/screws/wires, or neuro/bio-stimulators (TENS unit), persons who have ever been a metal worker/welder, history of eye surgery/eyes washed out because of metal, vision problems uncorrectable with lenses, inability to lie still on one's back for 60 minutes; prior neurosurgery; tattoos with metal dyes, unwillingness to remove body piercings, and pregnancy.
• •7. non-correctable vision or hearing problems, as some tests require intact sensory functioning.
• •8. Concurrent psychosocial treatment: Participants completing ongoing psychosocial treatment will be required to meet a 12-week stability criteria so that symptom changes as a result of other psychosocial treatments are not confounded with changes due to the research.
• •9. Inability to complete the initial assessment battery or treatment sessions.
• •10. Clinical conditions assessed by the interviewer that necessitate more imminent clinical care (e.g., active suicidal ideation). These criteria are in place so participants with these other, more several symptoms can be referred for appropriate mental health services.