Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric illness affecting both children and adults. It is estimated that 19 million American adults in the currently suffer from an anxiety disorder. Although anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only one third of those suffering from an anxiety disorder will seek treatment. What is an Anxiety Disorder?
It's not uncommon to hear that someone suffers from an anxiety disorder. We hear about it on television, we read about it in magazines, and we may even know someone that suffers from it. Most of us assume that anxious people should be able to control their anxiety. Certainly, some anxiety is normal from time to time, but when anxiety is prolonged, and begins to interfere with a person's life, it may indicate that the person suffers from an anxiety disorder that requires treatment. Most anxiety disorders fall into six distinct categories. To help you understand the different type of anxiety disorders, we've briefly explained each of them for you: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry and tension that lasts six months or more. Common symptoms include fatigue, irritability, muscular aches, insomnia, concentration problems, restlessness, and abdominal upsets. Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by marked fear and anxiety about social situations (e.g., public speaking, attending parties, dating) where a person feels they may be judged, embarrassed, or ridiculed by others. This intense anxiety may lead to avoidance behavior and panic attacks. Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) suffer from persistent, recurring thoughts (obsessions) that reflect exaggerated anxiety or fears such as the fear of being contaminated. The obsessions may lead to the individual performing a ritual or routine (compulsions) -such as repeated hand washing - to relieve the anxiety caused by the obsession. People with Panic Disorder suffer severe panic attacks for no reason. Common symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain, sweating, trembling, feeling of chocking, fear of dying, fear of losing control, and feeling of unreality. Panic disorder often occur with agoraphobia, in which people are afraid of having a panic attack in a place from which escape would be difficult, so they avoid these places. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can follow a traumatic event such as witnessing a death or natural disaster. There are four main symptoms associated with PTSD: "reliving" the traumatic event (e.g., flashbacks); avoidance behaviors (e.g., avoiding places related to the trauma), emotional numbing (detachment from others); and physiological arousal including difficulty sleeping symptoms or poor concentration. Finally, people with Specific Phobias suffer from an intense fear reaction to a specific object or situation (e.g., spiders or heights). It is common for an anxiety disorder to accompany depression, alcohol or drug abuse, or another anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders can also co-exist with illnesses such as cancer or heart disease. New treatments can help many people with anxiety disorders and are often combined with medication and specific types of psychotherapy. A number of medications that were originally approved for treating depression have been found to be effective for anxiety disorders as well. Some of these antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Other anti-anxiety medications include groups of drugs called benzodiazepines (e.g., valium) and azapirones (e.g., buspirone). While many people improve greatly with these treatments, some continue to experience persistent symptoms or may not tolerate the available medications. This is the reason for the ongoing effort by the research community to develop new medications to better treat anxiety symptoms.
How are New Medications for Anxiety Developed?
The study of new medication treatments in humans is a very rigorously controlled research area. These studies have to show that a particular medication is safe and effective in the treatment of a particular disorder. No trial involving human subjects is conducted without prior extensive testing in animals. Medication studies in humans are conducted in phases. First, tests are conducted in a small group of volunteers to explore the safety of the drug. Next, larger studies are conducted to further learn about possible side effects of the medication, and whether the medication is effective in the treatment of a particular disorder, as compared to another medication used for that disorder, and to an inactive pill called placebo (sometimes called a "sugar pill").
In order for a new medication to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use in a particular disorder, a number of these trials have to be conducted and the medication must be more effective than the placebo pill. About the Anxiety Disorders Program at MUSC
A part of the Institute of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, the Anxiety Disorders Program under the leadership of Olga Brawman-Mintzer, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, has been involved in research to advance public knowledge of anxiety disorders as well as working to find new innovative pharmacological treatments for these disabling conditions. A number of clinical treatment and research projects are conducted on an ongoing basis for the many different types of anxiety disorders. Anxiety screenings, medical monitoring, and study medications are offered at no cost to participants of our clinical trials. The faculty and staff at the Anxiety Disorders Program also provide free diagnostic consultations, recommendations to the treating clinicians, and referrals to our outpatient clinics at the Institute of Psychiatry for ongoing treatment. If you would like to learn more about our program and what research opportunities might be available to you, we invite you to contact us and speak with our research coordinator. Research is conducted at the Anxiety Disorders Program office, which is conveniently located off Interstate 26 in North Charleston.
For more information, please contact:
Anxiety Disorders Program
MUSC - Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
5900 Core Road, Suite 203
North Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 740-1592 ext. 23
(843) 740-6113 fax
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