Anxiety 2017

July 5, 2017

Treating Anxiety in 2017Optimizing Care to Improve Outcomes

Murray B. Stein, MD, MPH^1,2; Michelle G. Craske, PhD^3,4

Author Affiliations Article Information

JAMA. Published online July 5, 2017. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.6996

Anxiety disorders are prevalent and impairing, and they are a leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years worldwide.¹ The estimated 12-month prevalence of anxiety disorders among US adults is approximately 10%.² Yet since 2007, no new anxiolytics have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although new anxiety treatments are needed, patients can benefit from existing pharmacological and psychosocial therapies³ delivered using current best practices.

The most commonly encountered anxiety disorders among patients seen in health care settings include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (a trauma- and stressor-related disorder in the DSM-5). In this Viewpoint, we highlight management considerations for physicians who are not psychiatrists but who treat most patients with anxiety disorders in the United States./.../