Anxiety Disorders
Kathryn J. Zerbe, M.D.
Kathryn J. Zerbe, M.D., is Jack Aron Professor in Psychiatric Education and Women's Mental Health, The Menninger Clinic, Topeka, Kansas.
This activity is made possible by an
unrestricted educational grant from
the Novartis Foundation for
Gerontology.
Educational Objectives
Upon completion of this Cyberounds®, the participant should be able to:
- List the diverse presentations of anxiety disorders in a primary care practice
- Discuss the medical mimics of anxiety disorders
- Initiate pharmacotherapy with the most effective agents.
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of the psychiatric disorders. They are two to three times more frequent in women than in men, negatively influence the quality of a person's life, lead to costly medical workups and cause general deterioration in overall health and well-being. Clinicians often do not realize the full impact of these disorders -- the economic cost, for example, of anxiety disorders has been estimated at $47 billion dollars.1 Fortunately, anxiety disorders are highly treatable conditions for the majority of sufferers.
