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Anxiety disorders

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Introduction top

Anxiety disorders include panic disorders, with or without agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, generalised phobia, compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders.
A few very common disorders such as hypochondria and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) are closely related phenomenologically to anxiety disorders, but since we are following the DSM-IV organization, you will find these disorders under the Somatoform disorders topic.
Anxiety disorders are very common: roughly estimated, 20 to 30% of the population will be confronted with an anxiety disorder sometime in their lives. Although usually considered relatively mild disorders, they can be very disabling, particularly in respect to avoidance behaviours. The male/female ratio varies by disorder: panic disorders are much more common among women but compulsive and social phobias occur equally in men and women.
There is an enormous quantity of information available on the internet about anxiety. Much of the information is directed at the lay person and relates to general information or self-help programs. Information for the specialist is harder to find.


General Informationtop

  • Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)

    Site of the American patient special interest group, which claims to be the only non-profit site to provide information on anxiety disorders. For the professional, handy overview of upcoming conferences and current clinical trials being conducted in the US (sorted by state, with map!).


General information: Diagnosis & treatmenttop

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Anxiety Disorders

    The Anxiety Disorders Education Program is developed by the American NIMH.  Each anxiety disorder and treatment option is described. Also includes descriptions of relevant research by the National Institutes of Health and links via MedlinePlus to recent articles about anxiety (including animal models).

  • Internet Mental Health: Disorders

    An excellent site, where you can find information about disorders, including anxiety disorders, alphabetically or by category, by (1) a DSM - IV or ICD10 code and diagnostic criteria, (2) recommended treatment, (3) information material, and (4) publications from the popular press.

  • Mental Help Net: Anxiety Disorders

    A well maintained American site with accessible information via its own search engine.

  • Mental Help Net: Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms

    This section of the MHN site provides descriptions of the most important anxiety disorder symptoms.

  • Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy: Anxiety Disorders

    Section 15 (Psychiatric Disorders), Chapter 187 (Anxiety Disorders) defines the anxiety disorders, their diagnostic criteria and treatment options.

  • UCLA Anxiety Disorders Behavioral Research Program (ADBRP)

    Though primarily designed to serve -- and recruit -- patients, this site is an excellent for example of how professional psychiatry/psychology websites should be. Accessible and informative. Includes a self-assessment questionnaire.


General information: Diagnosis & treatment - Self-helptop


General information: Assessmenttop


General information: Assessment - Overviewtop


General information: For and by patientstop

  • Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)

    Site of the American patient special interest group, which claims to be the only non-profit site to provide information on anxiety disorders. For the professional, handy overview of upcoming conferences and current clinical trials being conducted in the US (sorted by state, with map!). Advisory board includes important people in the field.

  • the Anxiety Panic internet resource (tAPir)

    A site aimed at laypeople. Well organised, with many useful links to anxiety related information.


Conferencestop


Literature: Journalstop


Literature: Journals- Generaltop


Literature: Journals - Specialisedtop

  • Anxiety, Stress and Coping

    A European publication which now and then publishes good, clinically relevant articles.

  • Depression and Anxiety

    A twin publication (there is also a version for depression and one for anxiety) which features good articles about anxiety disorders, research as well as clinical experiences.

  • Journal of Anxiety Disorders

    As the title indicates, exclusively dedicated to anxiety disorders, particularly research.


Literature: Journals - Clinical psychologytop

  • Behavior Research and Therapy

    This publication with a clinical psychology perspective is also known as Rachman's Journal, after its well-known editor. It is a good journal for (cognitive) behaviour therapy studies applied to the treatment of anxiety disorders.

  • Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

    The quality of this journal, started by Joseph Wolpe, the patriarch of exposure therapy, seems to be recovering under new Dutch editorship.

  • Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

    A journal of the American Psychological Association (APA), it regularly publishes important outcome studies of both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment. It is also according to the APA the source for guidelines and overviews of evidence based treatments for anxiety disorders 


Measurement instrumentstop

Questionnaires and instructions for 4 rating instruments can be found on the Psychiatrynet.eu site under "Special areas of interest/rating scales". These files are downloadable and printable PDFs.

THE LINKS POINT TO THE NL SITE, AND NEED TO BE CORRECTED. SHOULD THE LINKS AND/OR THE PDFS BE TRANSLATED PRIOR TO MAKING THE EU SITE LIVE?


Guidelines for anxiety disorderstop

Several international and national guidelines for anxiety (when available in English). Guidelines for specific disordes can be found below.

 

  • Cochrane Library (new)

    The Cochrane Library holds reviews of evidence based treatments, the scientific evidence underlying guidelines.

  • NICE guidelines (new)

    Guidelines from the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder(search for anxiety)

  • APA Practice Guidelines (new)

    Practice Guidelines for specific anxiety disorders from the American Psychiatric Association.

  • CPA guidelines (new)

    Professional guidelines from the Canadian Psychiatric Association, also available in French

  • NZGG guidelines (new)

    Guidelines developed by the New Zealand Guidelines Group

  • WFSBP guidelines (new)

    Treatment guidelines from the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry

  • BAP pharmacotherapy guidelines (new)

    Guidelines for pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders from the British Association of Psychopharmacology (BAP)


Specific Disorders: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)top


Specific Disorders: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - Specifictop

  • David Baldwin's Trauma Information Pages

    An Oregon psychologist/psychotherapist maintains this very informative site about trauma and PTSD. Updated monthly, it includes overviews of the kinds of trauma, articles, and online databases, as well information about general support, books, and David Baldwin himself.
    See also the PILOTS database, below under PTSD Literature.


Specific Disorders: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - Literaturetop

  • National Center for PTSD

    The site of this American organisation offers a great deal of information about research into PTSD and treatment of the syndrome.

  • PILOTS database, The: PTSD literature

    Database by the National Center for PTSD of the worldwide Traumatic Stress literature.  Includes approximately 22,000 articles about PTSD.


Specific Disorders: Panic disorder with and without agoraphobiatop


Specific Disorders : Panic disorder with and without agoraphobia - Specifictop


Specific Disorders : Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)top


Disorders specific: Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) - Literaturetop


Specific Disorders : Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)top


Specific Disorders : obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - Generaltop


Specific Disorders : Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - Specifictop


Specific Disorders: Social Anxiety Disordertop