Full access
Clinical & Research News
Published Online: 2 October 2009

Several Strategies Successful for Treating Anxiety Disorders

Joan Arehart-TreichelAuthors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 44, Number 19
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.44.19.0033b
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) can be seen in all clinical settings, and in primary care, practitioners are usually good at identifying GAD patients, Richard Swinson, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association in St. John's, Newfoundland, in August.
“By the time [patients with GAD] see me, or other psychiatrists, they are longstanding worriers, that is, the more difficult cases,” said Swinson, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at McMaster University and medical director of the Anxiety Treatment Research Center at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario.
No matter the severity of GAD, there are effective treatments for it that can lead patients “to full recovery,” he said.
Three SSRI antidepressants and two SNRI antidepressants have been approved for treating GAD in Canada, he noted, and there is some evidence that anticonvulsants or antipsychotics can help GAD patients. At first antipsychotics were used as SSRI augmenters for GAD, but a recent approach is to use them as monotherapy, and that has been found useful in clinical studies, he said.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can also benefit GAD patients, Swinson noted. He said a good resource in this area is Michel Dugas, Ph.D., director of the anxiety disorders laboratory at Concordia University in Montreal. Over the past 16 years, Dugas has conducted research on the origins of GAD and has developed a CBT treatment for it, which has been validated in a number of trials. Dugas has also written a book called Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: From Science to Practice, which provides a step-by-step treatment of GAD.
For patients who have both GAD and depression, the best strategy is to place them on medications first and then to add CBT later, Swinson advised. The combination strategy should help alleviate both their anxiety and their depression, he indicated.
Other common comorbid conditions for GAD include another anxiety disorder, alcohol abuse, personality disorders, and bipolar disorder, Swinson pointed out. ▪

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric News
Psychiatric News
Volume 44 • Number 19 • October 2, 2009
Pages: 33

History

Published online: 2 October 2009
Published in print: October 2, 2009

Notes

CBT can benefit patients with generalized anxiety disorder. For patients who have both anxiety and depression, the best strategy is to place them on medications first, and then add CBT later.

Authors

Affiliations

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

There are no citations for this item

View Options

View options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share

×

As described within the American Psychiatric Association (APA)'s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences. Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.