Pharmacotherapy of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders in the United States and are associated with a high degree of morbidity and public health costs. This chapter will present a general approach to the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders and summarize the current evidence base for pharmacotherapeutic treatment options in individual disorders, including panic disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder.The serotonin-selective and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are generally considered first-line treatment while older monoaminergic agents are often efficacious but are limited by safety and tolerability issues. The benzodiazepines play an important role in the treatment of some anxiety disorders, however these agents also possess important limitations. Other pharmacological agents have a more limited evidence base. Continued progress in basic and translational neuroscience is expected to meet the need for new, more effective treatments for patients suffering from these disorders.