title: Recent advances in the understanding and treatment of anxiety disorders.
abstract: Anxiety disorders usually are chronic or recurrent disorders characterized by stress sensitivity and a fluctuating course. Both psychopharmacologic and cognitive-behavioral treatments are well-established, evidence-based treatments for panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Exposure-based behavioral treatment is well established as evidence-based treatment for specific phobias. Primary care physicians can make a significant impact on patients' lives by identifying and educating about anxiety disorders, directing patients to appropriate self-help resources, choosing evidence-based drug treatment when indicated, and making referrals for specialist care.
authors.affiliation: Residency Training Program in Family Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Franklin Square Hospital Center, Baltimore, MD 21237, USA. steve.shearer@medstar.net
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Shearer
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D010698:Phobic Disorders