Generalized Anxiety Disorder

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Most individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) fail to achieve remission despite standard treatments. As a result, we examined the efficacy and tolerability of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) as (a) augmentation or (b) monotherapy for GAD. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, controlled trials databases, and the abstracts of scientific meetings for all trials of GAD treatment with SGAs in adults. Randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trials examining SGA augmentation and monotherapy were meta-analyzed. Five augmentation studies containing 912 adults with refractory GAD indicated that SGA augmentation was not more likely to produce clinical response or remission than placebo and was associated with an increased risk of all-cause discontinuation (relative risk [RR] = 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.96). There was no difference in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale on change from baseline or weight gain between groups. Four SGA

In the past, people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were usually treated with drugs designed to reduce anxiety (called anxiolytics). There is growing evidence that drugs used to treat depression (antidepressants) may also be helpful for people w...

In 10% to 35% of all consultations in primary care, no organic cause can be found for the physical symptoms of the patient. Patients may present with symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness, non-specific low back pain and chest pain. Such symptom...

The presence of anxiety disorders (AD) in schizophrenia (SZ) is attracting increasing interest. However, published studies have yielded very broad variations in prevalence rates across studies. The current meta-analysis sought to (1) investigate the prevalence of co-occurring AD in SZ by reporting pooled prevalence rates and (2) identify potential sources of variations in reported rates that could guide our efforts to identify and treat these co-occurring disorders in patients with SZ.|We performed a systematic search of studies reporting prevalence of AD in SZ and related psychotic disorders. Mean prevalence rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were first computed for each disorder. We then examined the impact of potential moderators related to patient sampling or to AD assessment methods on these rates.|Fifty-two eligible studies were identified. Pooled prevalence rates and CIs were 12.1% (7.0%-17.1%) for obsessive-compulsive disorders, 14.9% (8.1%-21.8%) for social phobia, 10.9%

Clients in treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) were compared to a control group to assess the extent and nature of imagery during worry or while thinking about a personally relevant positive future event. Two methods were used to assess mentation and were completed in counter balanced order within the worry and positive conditions. One method assessed the occurrence of imagery by requiring participants to categorize their mentation as verbal thoughts or images every 10 s. The other method involved participants estimating the duration of any imagery that occurred in the previous 10 s. Imagery during worry occurred less often than while thinking about a positive event for both groups, but GAD clients had a more pronounced deficit of imagery during worry than the control group. Images that occurred were briefer during worry than while thinking about a positive future event and were briefer in the GAD than the control group for both worry and positive conditions. The results

Many patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) only respond to pharmacological treatment after a delay of some weeks, and approximately 35% of patients do not respond. Therefore, early identification of potential responders may have important implications for clinical decision-making. In order to identify early improvement criteria that optimally predict eventual response during short-term treatment of GAD with pregabalin or venlafaxine XR, data were pooled from four double-blind, placebo-controlled GAD treatment studies. A range of measures were analyzed using logistic regression models and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, to predict endpoint response. Results showed that early improvement ( 20% reduction from baseline score) on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) was associated with a high probability of achieving an endpoint response at Weeks 1 and 2 among patients treated with pregabalin (~67%), and at Week 2 with venlafaxine XR (60%). A Clinical

Interventions for students with generalized anxiety disorder require attention to contextual factors both within and outside the classroom. They often are based on the principles of increasing environmental predictability and increasing the students sense of self-efficacy. Good judgment is sometimes needed to determine which strategies constitute reasonable accommodations to the students anxiety and which constitute an excessive deviation from usual school expectations. The latter can single out students unnecessarily or limit their academic progress. Working closely with parents and mental health professionals involved in the students care is most likely to ensure a consistently helpful approach.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders in later life, with widespread consequences for individuals and society.|To perform a systematic review of the efficacy of controlled interventions for GAD in adults aged 55 years and older.|Direct search of digital databases and the main publications on aging and iterative searches of the references from retrieved articles.|Twenty-seven trials (14 pharmacological, 13 psychotherapeutic) fulfilled the inclusion criteria, reporting results from 2373 baseline participants. There were no differences between trials in their overall quality. Pooled treatment effects for pharmacological (OR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.54) and psychotherapeutic (OR=0.33, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.66) trials were similar, with findings in each case favoring active interventions over control conditions.|Older adults with GAD benefited from both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. Future studies should investigate combined treatment

Aberrant subcortical-prefrontal connectivity may contribute to insula hyper-reactivity to threat in generalized social anxiety disorder (gSAD). A novel PsychoPhysiological Interaction (PPI) analysis was used to examine functional 'coupling' between the insula and prefrontal cortex in gSAD patients and healthy controls (HCs). During fMRI, 29 gSAD and 26 HC volunteers performed an Emotional Face Matching Task, involving the processing of fear, angry, and happy expressions. As expected, compared with HCs, gSAD patients exhibited greater bilateral anterior insula (aINS) reactivity for fear vs. happy faces; this group difference was less robust for angry vs. happy faces. PPI of insula connectivity when processing fearful faces revealed the gSAD group had less right aINS-dorsal anterior cingulate coupling compared to HCs. Findings indicate that aINS hyper-reactivity for fear faces in gSAD, compared to controls, involves reduced connectivity with a prefrontal region implicated in cognitive

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Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.

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