Psychiatrists' treatment preferences for generalized anxiety disorder

The objective of this study is to ascertain psychiatrists' treatment preferences for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and compare them to the same psychiatrists' treatment preferences in the hypothetical scenario that treatment is to be administered to themselves as patients.

A questionnaire was completed by 221 psychiatrists from 3 Balkan countries. They were asked to indicate their treatment preferences for patients with GAD and for themselves as patients.

A large majority of psychiatrists chose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors as preferred treatment option for GAD patients. Fewer psychiatrists selected benzodiazepines and pregabalin and about one third chose psychotherapy. The majority of psychiatrists chose the same treatments for their patients and for themselves, with main differences being in terms of pharmacotherapy (especially benzodiazepines) being less frequently recommended and psychotherapy being more frequently recommended as preferred treatment option for psychiatrists as patients.

Treatment preferences for GAD by psychiatrists in the 3 West Balkan countries were mostly in accordance with treatment guidelines and treatment preferences for patients and for psychiatrists as patients were mostly concordant. However, some psychiatrists were more likely to choose pharmacotherapy for patients and psychotherapy for themselves as patients. These findings have implications for education of psychiatrists and for efforts to improve treatment guidelines and mental health services.