Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Depression: Contemporary Treatment Approaches

Attachment theory has proposed that early separation anxiety is a risk factor for adult anxiety disorder, with the recent focus being particularly on panic disorder. The results of empirical studies examining this link are, however, contradictory, possibly because of inconsistencies across studies in measuring memories of early separation anxiety. In the present study, a psychometrically sound measure, the Separation Anxiety Symptom Inventory (SASI) was used to compare memories of such early symptoms in panic disorder (including those with mild phobic-avoidance), generalised anxiety disorder and control subjects. Anxiety patients as a group returned higher SASI scores (p<0.001) with a non-significant trend for panic disorder patients to score higher than those with generalised anxiety. These results suggest that early separation anxiety may be a harbinger of adult anxiety and that risk of panic disorder may be higher in the most severely affected youngsters. As a risk factor, early separation anxiety does not however appear to be uniquely related to adult panic disorder.

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Escitalopram prevents relapse in generalised anxiety disorder

Inpharma Weekly ◽

10.2165/00128413-200615660-00035 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol &NA; (1566) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

&NA;

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

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Generalised anxiety disorder

Anxiety Disorders ◽

10.1007/978-3-0348-8157-9_3 ◽

2002 ◽

pp. 67-87

Author(s):

Gérard Emilien ◽

Timothy Dinan ◽

Ulla Marjatta Lepola ◽

Cécile Durlach

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

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Major Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/s0007125000298437 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 168 (S30) ◽

pp. 68-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 204

Author(s):

Kenneth S. Kendler

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Major Depression ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Environmental Risk Factors ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽

Increase Risk ◽

Twin Models ◽

One Year

In both clinical and epidemiological samples, major depression (MD) and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) display substantial comorbidity. In a prior analysis of lifetime MD and GAD in female twins, the same genetic factors were shown to influence the liability to MD and to GAD. A follow-up interview in the same twin cohort examined one-year prevalence for MD and GAD (diagnosed using a one-month minimum duration of illness). Bivariate twin models were fitted using the program Mx. High levels of comorbidity were observed between MD and GAD. The best-fitting twin models, when GAD was diagnosed with or without a diagnostic hierarchy, found a genetic correlation of unity between the two disorders. The correlation in environmental risk factors was +0.70 when GAD was diagnosed non-hierarchically, but zero when hierarchical diagnoses were used. Our findings provide further support for the hypothesis that in women, MD and GAD are the result of the same genetic factors. Environmental risk factors that predispose to ‘pure’ GAD episodes may be relatively distinct from those that increase risk for MD.

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Pregabalin use in adults with intellectual disabilities

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.924 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S597-S597 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Courtenay ◽

S. Jaydeokar ◽

B. Perera

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Dose Range ◽

Case Series ◽

Generalised Anxiety Disorder ◽

Anti Epileptic Drug ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Adults With Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Competing Interest

IntroductionPregabalin is a well-established anti-epileptic drug in the treatment of epilepsy. It is also indicated for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder and neuropathic pain. In addition, it has mood modulating properties. In people with intellectual disabilities it is used to treat epilepsy. There is little evidence of the use of pregabalin in managing mental health difficulties in people with intellectual disabilities.ObjectivesTo describe the use of pregabalin in adults with intellectual disabilities.MethodA descriptive case series of adults with intellectual disabilities living in the community, under the care of a community psychiatrist, who are prescribed Pregabalin. Outcomes of treatment were measured using the health of the nation outcome scale for people with intellectual disabilities (HoNOS-LD).ResultsFourteen cases were identified in the community service of adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Twelve were men and two were women. The average age of the sample was 29 years. The range in duration of using pregabalin was from 3 to 72 months. Thirteen adults had a diagnosis of Autism of which three also had ADHD. The indications for using pregabalin and numbers were : anxiety (12); liability of mood (2); generalised anxiety disorder (1); epilepsy (1). The daily dose range was from 150 mg to 300 mg The mean change in HoNOS-LD scores was 32%.ConclusionsPregabalin is a useful treatment in people with intellectual disabilities who experience anxiety. It is especially effective among adults with ID and autism to modulate mood and anxiety symptoms.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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