Symptom differences among anxiety patients in clinics with differing treatment orientations : a pilot investigation

Patients with screening diagnoses of DSM-III-R anxiety disorders were surveyed in two clinics, one oriented toward pharmacology, the other toward behavior therapy. Patients in the two clinics were similar on demographic, diagnostic, and treatment variables but dissimilar on severity and composition of symptoms and on the use of medications and medical services. Patients seen in the psychopharmacology clinic reported more physical symptoms and more frequent use of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Patients in the behavior therapy clinic reported more phobic symptoms. Findings may reflect self-selection and/or referral biases toward one or the other type of clinic based on differences in initial symptoms, beliefs in their pathogenesis, and other associated variables. Further study at point of entry and at follow-up may help clarify these differences.