Some current treatment options for symptoms of anxiety

The psychologic (i.e., psychotherapeutic or behavioral) and pharmacologic approaches available for the treatment of anxiety are reviewed. Accurate diagnosis and consideration of patient characteristics are essential in choosing among the numerous treatment options. Nonpharmacologic methods are generally the first treatment choice in situational and nonincapacitating anxiety. When anxiety is severe and prolonged, adjunctive drug treatment is appropriate, with antidepressants for phobic and panic states and anxiolytics for generalized anxiety disorder and mixed anxiety and depression. Benzodiazepines are currently the anxiolytics of choice; newer nonbenzodiazepine compounds may provide increased safety.