Research avenues in anxiety and its treatment

Research into anxiety and related disorders requires the systematic collection of much new data. The areas of research most likely to produce clinically useful information are considered. The richest area of research will probably be biopharmacological. Biological and pharmacological research may be usefully coupled to behavioural recording in order to increase our knowledge of the behavioural/physiological relationships. More data are, however, needed on the social/environmental areas of anxiety and on the natural history of these conditions. Cognitive/behavioural approaches are more likely to be useful than depth psychological approaches.