Anxiety Disorders: Pathophysiology and Pharmacological Treatment

Anxiety disorders are very common and constitute some of the most frequent psychological problems in medical practice. The term anxiety disorder is used to describe conditions in which pathologic anxiety is the predominant factor. These conditions include phobic disorders, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Management of anxiety disorders may involve physical treatments such as drugs, psychological treatments such as psychotherapy or behavioural cognitive therapy or a combination of both. The development of new drugs with improved safety and tolerability is an important step in the treatment of anxiety.

In this book, the discussion of the normal and pathological aspects of anxiety is critically examined. Particular attention is given to aetiology, differential diagnosis, epidemiology and both cognitive and pharmacological treatments. The book covers most aspects of anxiety disorders which makes it useful for a wide range of clinicians as well as researchers, e.g. psychiatrists, general practitioners, pharmacologists etc.