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Doctors' views on anxiety management in general practice.
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
|February 1, 1992
Summary
General practitioners often prescribe benzodiazepines for severe anxiety but prefer shorter durations. Trainees show more caution than experienced doctors, with many favoring counseling and improved psychology services for better anxiety management.
Area of Science:
- Primary Care Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Guidelines exist for primary care anxiety treatment, focusing on benzodiazepine use.
- Limited research explores how these guidelines impact physician practice and opinions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate general practitioners' (GPs) and trainees' management of anxiety in primary care.
- To understand their views on benzodiazepine prescribing and alternative treatments.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 GPs and 15 GP trainees.
- Discussions focused on their approaches to managing anxiety disorders.
Main Results:
- Most GPs prescribe benzodiazepines for severe anxiety, typically for short periods.
- GP trainees demonstrated more cautious benzodiazepine use compared to experienced GPs.
- While many GPs recognized counseling's efficacy for moderate anxiety, time constraints were a barrier.
- Two-thirds of GPs supported employing counselors, despite anticipated practical challenges.
Conclusions:
- Physician experience influences benzodiazepine prescribing patterns for anxiety.
- Integrating counseling services and enhancing clinical psychology support are key to improving primary care anxiety management.