title: Treatment of anxiety disorders by psychiatrists from the American Psychiatric Practice Research Network.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in the United States, and if untreated, result in a number of negative outcomes. This study aimed to investigate psychiatrists' current treatment practices for patients with anxiety disorders in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychiatrist-reported data from the 1997 and 1999 American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education Practice Research Network (PRN) Study of Psychiatric Patients and Treatments (SPPT) were examined, focusing on patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Information related to diagnostic and clinical features and treatments provided were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anxiety disorders remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, since only 11.4% of the sample received a principal diagnosis of an anxiety disorder in a real world setting. Posttraumatic stress disorder was associated with particularly high comorbidity and disability, and social anxiety disorder was relatively rarely diagnosed and treated. Although combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy was commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, anxiolytics were more commonly prescribed than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide a picture of diagnosis and practice patterns across a range of psychiatric settings and suggest that anxiety disorders, despite being among the most prevalent of psychiatric disorders remain underdiagnosed and undertreated particularly in respect of the use of psychotherapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Katherine.sorsdahl@uct.ac.za
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sorsdahl
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Donald S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rae
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pincus
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Narrow
authors.forename: Sharain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suliman
authors.forename: Dan J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002985:Clinical Protocols / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents