A newer form of psychological therapy, Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) has shown to be more effective than CBT in the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression. MCT is based on the principle that health anxiety is caused by a pattern of extended thinking, this pattern is called the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS). The CAS is made up of chains of verbal thought in the form of excessive worry about having an illness; a pattern of focusing attention on threat, such as scanning the body for signs of illness and excessive body checking; and coping strategies that have negative effects, such as internet searching for illnesses or trying to block out thoughts of illness. Rather than stopping negative thinking the CAS extends it and leads to the belief that illness is present. To help reduce these symptoms MCT teaches specific techniques that help people develop new ways of experiencing negative thoughts about illnesses, allow them to abandon worry and learn to disengage from unhelpful coping attempts.