Chapter 7 summarizes the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and evidence for pharmacological treatment options of generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, specific phobia, and social anxiety disorder. With regard to the pharmacological management, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) represent the well-established first-line medication for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety disorder. In GAD, also the calcium channel modulator pregabalin can be regarded as evidence-based treatment option. In simple cases of specific phobia, however, the initiation of a pharmacotherapy is not recognized as standard treatment according to international treatment guidelines and psychotherapeutic interventions should be preferred. Besides illustrating the pharmacological treatment options, we described the actualized diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders established in the newly introduced fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
Pharmacological Treatment Options for Panic Disorder in Children and Adolescents
