[The concept of anxiety--etiology, clinical aspects and treatment]

The paper focuses on the different ways of using and understanding the anxiety concept. After discussing varying views on anxiety in psychoanalytical theory and existential philosophy, the author presents the nosological classification of anxiety disorders in DSM-III-R, and presents recent research findings concerning the etiology of anxiety disorders. The main part of the paper concerns the treatment of the various anxiety disorders. The emphasis is on individual cognitive behavioural treatment and pharmacotherapy, but a psychoanalytical orientation is also discussed. The description of etiology and treatment focuses upon panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and the phobias.