David Barlow

Founder:  Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Barlow received his PhD from the University of Vermont in 1969 and has published over 650 articles and chapters and over 90 books and clinical manuals, mostly in the areas of anxiety and related emotional disorders, sexual problems, and clinical research methodology.

He is formerly Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at Brown University, and founded clinical psychology internships in both settings.

He was also Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. He joined Boston University in 1996.

He is Past-President of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, Past-President of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and was a member of the DSM-IV Task Force of the American Psychiatric Association.

Full Professional Autobiography, 2016, from:

Barlow, D. H. (2016). Introduction: A career in psychology, pp. 1-27. In D. H. Barlow (Ed.), The neurotic paradox: Progress in understanding and treating anxiety and related disorders. (1-27). New York, NY: Routledge. Volume 1 (1-183), Volume 2 (199-441.)

Research Interests

Clinical research at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University focuses on understanding the nature of anxiety and depression and developing new treatments for emotional disorders. 

Website

TREND UP Lab

Recent Books and Clinical Manuals

• Barlow, D. H., Durand, V. M., & Hofmann, S. G. (2023). Psychopathology: An integrative approach to mental disorders. Cengage.
• Craske, M.G., & Barlow, D.H. (2022). Mastery of your anxiety and panic (5th ed): Therapist guide. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.
• Barlow, D.H. (Ed.). (2021). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders:  A step-by-step treatment manual (6th ed.).  New York: The Guilford Press.
• Sauer-Zavala, S., & Barlow, D. H. 2021). Neuroticism: A new framework for emotional disorders and their treatment. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Barlow, D. H., & Farchione, T. J. (Eds.). (2018). Applications of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. Oxford University Press.
• Barlow, D.H., Farchione, T.J., Sauer-Zavala, S., Latin, H., Ellard, K.K., Bullis, J.R., …Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2018). Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist guide. (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press. 
• Barlow, D.H., Sauer-Zavala, S., Farchione, T.J., Latin, H., Ellard, K.K., Bullis, J.R., … Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2018). Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Patient workbook. (2nd ed.) New York: Oxford University Press.

Selected Recent Publications

2023

• Rodriguez-Moreno, S., Guillen, A.I.,Tirpak, J.W., Marin, C., Cardona, N.D., Eustis, E.H., Farchione, T.J., Barlow, D.H., Panadero, S. (2023). Mediators and moderators of therapeutic change in the Unified Protocol for women experiencing homelessness. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 47, 209-221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-022-10335-8
• Castro-Camacho, L., Barlow, D.H., Garcia, N., Farchione, T., Idrobo, F., Rattner, M., Quant, D., Gonzalez, L. & Moreno, J.D. (in press). Effects of a contextual adaptation of the Unified Protocol in multiple emotional disorders in victims of armed conflict in Colombia: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 

2022

• Barlow, D. H., & Eustis, E. H. (2022). The importance of idiographic and functionally analytic strategies in the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 24, 179–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.05.001
• Spencer-Laitt, D., Eustis, E.H., Barlow, D.H., & Farchione, T.J (2022). The impact of COVID-19 related social distancing on mental health outcomes: A transdiagnostic account. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6596. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116596

2021

• Barlow, D. H., Curreri, A. J., & Woodard, L. S. (2021). Neuroticism and Disorders of Emotion: A New Synthesis. Current Directions in Psychological Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211030253
• Farchione, T., Fitzgerald, H. E., Curreri, A., Janes, A. C., Gallagher, M. W., Sbi, S., Eustis, E. H., & Barlow, D. H. (2021). Efficacy of the unified protocol for the treatment of comorbid alcohol use and anxiety disorders: Study protocol and methods. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 106512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2021.106512

2020

• Barlow, D. H., Harris, B. A., Eustis, E. H., & Farchione, T. J. (2020) The Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (UP). Invited article, World Psychiatry, 19(2), 245-246.
• Cassiello-Robbins, C., Sauer-Zavala, S., Brody, L. R., & Barlow, D. H. (2020). Exploring the effects of the mindfulness and behavior change modules from the Unified Protocol on dysregulated anger in the context of emotional disorders. Behavior Therapy. Doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2019.12.007
• Eustis, E. H., Cardona, N., Nauphal, M., Sauer-Zavala, S., Rosellini, A. J., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2020). Experiential avoidance as a mechanism of change across cognitive behavioral therapy in a sample of participants with heterogeneous anxiety disorders. Cognitive Therapy and Research. Doi: 10.1007/s10608-019-10063-6
• Eustis, E. H., Gallagher, M. W., Tirpak, J. W., Nauphal, M., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2020). The Unified Protocol compared with diagnosis-specific protocols for anxiety disorders: 12-month follow-up from a randomized clinical trial. General Hospital Psychiatry.
• Sauer-Zavala, S., Bentley, K.H., Steele, S.J., Wilner, J., Ametaj, A., Nauphal, M., Cardona, N., Wang, M., Farchione, T.J., & Barlow, D.H. (2020). Treating depressive disorders with the Unified Protocol: A preliminary randomized evaluation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 264, 438-445.
• Sauer-Zavala, S*., Fournier, J.*, Steele, S.J., & Woods, B.K., Wang, M., Farchione, T.J., & Barlow, D.H. (2020) Does the Unified Protocol really treat neuroticism? Results from a randomized-controlled trial. Psychological Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720000975* first authorship is shared.

2019

• Boettcher, H., & Barlow D. H. (2019). The unique and conditional effects of interoceptive exposure in the treatment of anxiety: A functional analysis. Behavior Research and Therapy, 117, 65-78.
• Boettcher, H., Sandage, S., Latin, H.M., and Barlow, D.H. (2019) Transdiagnostic treatments for enhancing positive affect and wellbeing. In J. Gruber (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Positive Emotion and Psychopathology. New York: Oxford University Press
• Bullis, J., Boettcher, H., Sauer-Zavala, S., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2019). What is an emotional disorder?: A transdiagnostic mechanistic definition with implications for assessment, treatment, and prevention. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice, 26, 2. Doi:10.1111/cpsp.12278
• Gallagher, M. W., Long, L. J., Richardson, A., D’Souza, J. M., Boswell, J. F., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (in press). Examining hope as a transdiagnostic mechanism of change in cognitive-behavioral interventions for anxiety disorders. Behavior Therapy, doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2019.06.001
• Jarvi Steele, S., Farchione, T. J., Cassiello-Robbins, C., Ametaj, A., Sbi, S., Sauer-Zavala, S., & Barlow, D. H. (2018). Efficacy of the Unified Protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of comorbid psychopathology accompanying emotional disorders compared to treatments targeting single disorders. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 104, 211-216. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.08.005
• Wilner Tirpak, J., Cassiello-Robbins, C., Ametaj, A., Olesnycky, O.S., Sauer-Zavala, S., Farchione, T.J., Barlow, D.H. (2019). Changes in positive affect in cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety disorders. General Hospital Psychiatry. Doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2019.06.008

2018

• Carl, J. R., Gallagher, M. W., & Barlow, D. H. (2018). Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Positive Emotion Regulation Augmentation Module for Anxiety and Depression. Behavior Therapy, 49(6), 935-950.
• Thompson‐Brenner, H., Brooks, G. E., Boswell, J. F., Espel‐Huynh, H., Dore, R., Franklin, D. R. … & Barlow, D. H. (2018). Evidence‐based implementation practices applied to the intensive treatment of eating  disorders: Summary of research and illustration of principles using a case example. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25(1).
• Wilner, J.G., Dufour, S., Kennedy, K., Boettcher, H. Sauer-Zavala, S. Farchione, T.J., Barlow, D.H. (2018). Quality of life in heterogeneous anxiety disorders: Change across cognitive-behavioral treatments. Behavior Modification, Advance online publication. Doi: 10.1177/0145445518815603

2017

• Barlow, D. H., Farchione, T. J., Bullis, J. R., Gallagher, M. W., Latin, H., Sauer-Zavala, S.,… Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2017). Equivalence Evaluation of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders Compared to Diagnosis-Specific CBT for Anxiety Disorders. JAMA Psychiatry;74(9):875–884. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.2164
• Bentley, K. H., Boettcher, H., Bullis, J. R., Carl, J. R., Conklin, L. R., Sauer-Zavala, S., … & Barlow, D. H. (2017). Development of a Single-Session, Transdiagnostic Preventive Intervention for Young Adults at Risk for Emotional Disorders. Behavior Modification, 0145445517734354.
• Bentley, K. H., Nock, M. K., Sauer-Zavala, S., Gorman, B. S., & Barlow, D. H. (2017). A functional analysis of two transdiagnostic, emotion-focused interventions on nonsuicidal self-injury. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(6), 632.
• Ehrenreich-May, J., Rosenfield, D., Queen, A. H., Kennedy, S. M., Remmes, C. S., & Barlow, D.H (2017).  An initial waitlist-controlled trial of the unified protocol for the treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 46, 46-55.
• Ellard, K. K., Barlow, D. H., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Gabrieli, J. D., & Deckersbach, T. (2017). Neural correlates of emotion acceptance vs worry or suppression in generalized anxiety disorder. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 12(6), 1009-1021.
• Ellard, K. K., Bernstein, E. E., Hearing, C., Baek, J. H., Sylvia, L. G., Nierenberg, A. A., Barlow, D.H., & Deckersbach, T. (2017). Transdiagnostic treatment of bipolar disorder and comorbid anxiety using the Unified Protocol for Emotional Disorders: A pilot feasibility and acceptability trial. Journal of affective disorders, 219, 209-221.
• Sauer-Zavala, S., Gutner, C. A., Farchione, T. J., Boettcher, H. T., Bullis, J. R., & Barlow, D. H. (2017). Current Definitions of “Transdiagnostic” in Treatment Development: A Search for Consensus. Behavior Therapy, 48(1), 128-138. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2016.09.004
• Sauer-Zavala, S., Wilner, J. G., & Barlow, D. H. (2017). Addressing neuroticism in psychological treatment. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 8(3), 191.

2016

• Brake, A. C., Sauer-Zavala, S., Boswell, J. F., Gallagher, M. W., Farchione, T. J., & Barlow, D. H. (2016). Mindfulness-based exposure strategies as a transdiagnostic mechanism of change: An exploratory alternating treatment design. Behavior Therapy, 47(2), 225-238. doi:
• Cassiello-Robbins, C. & Barlow, D. H. (2016). Anger: The unrecognized emotion in emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. doi: 10.1111/cpsp.12139
• Ehrenreich-May, J., Rosenfield, D., Queen, A. H., Kennedy, S. M., Remmes, C. S., & Barlow, D.H An initial waitlist-controlled trial of the unified protocol for the treatment of emotional disorders in adolescents. Journal of Anxiety Disorders (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.10.006

2014

• Barlow, D. H. (2014). The neuroscience of psychological treatments. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 62(0), 143-145.
• Barlow, D. H., Ellard, K. K., Sauer-Zavala, S., Bullis, J. R., & Carl, J. R. (2014). The origins of neuroticism. Perspectives on Psychological Science,9(5), 481-496.
• Barlow, D.H., Sauer-Zavala, S., Carl, J.R., Bullis, J.R., & Ellard, K.K. (2014). The nature, diagnosis, and treatment of neuroticism: Back to the future. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(3), 344-365.
• Bentley, K. H., Barlow, D. H., & Nock, M. (2014). The four-function model of non-suicidal self-injury: Key directions for future research. Clinical Psychological Science, 2(5), 638-656.
• Bentley, K. H., Gallagher, M. W., Carl, J. R., & Barlow, D. H. (2014). Development and validation of the Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale. Psychological Assessment, 26(3), 815-830.

2011

• Barlow, D.H. (2011). A prolegomenon to clinical psychology: Two 40-year odysseys. In D.H. Barlow (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of clinical psychology (pp. 3-20). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Barlow, D.H. & Carl, J.R. (2011). The future of clinical psychology: Promises, perspectives, and predictions. In D.H. Barlow (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of clinical psychology (pp. 891-911). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

2010

• Barlow, D. H. (2010). Negative effects from psychological treatments: A perspective. American Psychologist, 65(1), 13-20.
• McHugh, R. K., & Barlow, D. H. (2010). Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions: A review of current efforts. American Psychologist, 65(2), 73-84.