Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
08:17
Reducing State Anxiety Using Working Memory Maintenance
Published on: July 19, 2017
Medical utilization across the anxiety disorders
Brett Deacon1, James Lickel, Jonathan S Abramowitz
1University of Wyoming, Department of Psychology, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. bdeacon@uwyo.edu
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
|April 11, 2007
Summary
Patients with anxiety disorders frequently use medical services before effective treatment. Panic disorder patients had the most visits, especially to cardiology and emergency medicine, highlighting a need for better recognition.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Medical Health Services
Background:
- Anxiety disorders are common mental health conditions.
- Patients often seek medical care for physical symptoms before diagnosis.
- Limited data exists on medical service utilization for various anxiety disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and settings of medical service utilization by patients with different anxiety disorders.
- To compare medical visit patterns among panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias.
Main Methods:
- Electronic health records of 171 outpatients referred to an anxiety disorders clinic were reviewed.
- Medical service utilization (general and specialty) was coded.
- Data was analyzed to identify patterns in healthcare seeking behavior.
Main Results:
- Panic disorder patients had the highest number of overall medical visits.
- Panic disorder patients frequently visited cardiology, family medicine, and emergency departments.
- Minimal differences in medical utilization were observed among generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and specific phobias.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety disorder patients are frequent users of medical services before receiving appropriate mental health treatment.
- Improved recognition and management of anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder, are needed across various medical settings.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Anxiety: Overview
Anxiety is a common mental disorder featuring excessive worry, fear, and apprehension, significantly affecting daily life. People with anxiety disorders experience persistent and intense anxiety, interrupting their everyday functioning.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
Individuals with anxiety often experience a range of physical and emotional symptoms, including sweating, trembling, tachycardia, and disturbances in sleep patterns. These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency but are generally disruptive and distressing.
01:30Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive and uncontrollable worry that persists for at least six months, significantly interfering with daily functioning. Unlike situational anxiety, which arises in response to specific stressors, GAD often occurs without a clear cause. Individuals may experience disproportionate worry about work, health, or relationships. For instance, a person might continuously fear poor health despite normal medical evaluations or...
01:28Drug Therapy
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
01:26Anxiolytic Drugs: Overview
Anxiolytic drugs are vital in managing anxiety disorders by effectively alleviating symptoms such as excessive fear, tachycardia, and tremors. There are several classes of anxiolytic medications, each with unique mechanisms of action and potential side effects.
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic circuitry.
Primary Types of Anxiolytic Drugs
1. Benzodiazepines:
Benzodiazepines bind to the GABA-A receptor in the brain, enhancing GABA's interaction. This action reduces neurotransmission, effectively blocking anxiety-associated limbic circuitry.
01:27Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) serves as the primary classification system for mental health disorders, providing standardized diagnostic criteria for clinicians and researchers. First published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1952, the DSM has undergone several revisions to reflect evolving psychiatric understanding. The fifth edition, DSM-5, released in 2013, introduced key updates that expanded diagnostic categories and modified diagnostic...
01:22Behavior Therapy
Behavior therapy incorporates diverse techniques rooted in classical conditioning principles to address maladaptive behaviors and anxiety disorders. These methods aim to reduce avoidance behaviors, foster adaptive coping mechanisms, and alter associations between stimuli and responses, making them effective in a wide range of therapeutic contexts.
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...