Generalized anxiety disorder publications: so where do we stand?

Although generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has traditionally been understudied, several authors have stated that interest in GAD has recently increased. However, no data exist to confirm or refute this assertion. The present study investigates publication rates for the anxiety disorders from 1980 to 1997 in two extensive databases: PsycLIT and MEDLINE. GAD publications were examined in two ways. First, the annual percentage of anxiety disorder publications devoted to GAD was calculated. Second, GAD publications were classified into one of four categories: descriptive, process, treatment, and review. The results show that GAD is considerably less studied than panic disorder/agoraphobia, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Though the percentage of anxiety disorder publications devoted to GAD increased considerably during the 1980s, it has generally remained stable in the 1990s. The results also show that descriptive and treatment issues account for the vast majority of GAD publications. The author concludes that the paucity of research into process issues is unfortunate because intensified investigation of the specific processes involved in GAD may lead to new breakthroughs in our understanding and treatment of this anxiety disorder.