Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Summary of treatment modalities in psychiatric disorders
- Part III Specific treatments
- 9 Delirium
- 10 Management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and acquired brain injury
- 11 Dementia: pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and guideline review
- 12 Pharmacological treatment of psychosis and depression in neurological disease in older adults
- 13 Psychological treatments of alcohol use disorders
- 14 Pharmacotherapy of alcohol misuse, dependence and withdrawal
- 15 Educational interventions for alcohol use disorders
- 16 Complex interventions for alcohol use disorders
- 17 Complementary and alternative medicine for alcohol misuse
- 18 Empirically validated psychological therapies for drug dependence
- 19 Treatment of stimulant dependence
- 20 Treatment of opioid dependence
- 21 Treatment of sedative-hypnotic dependence
- 22 Treatment of cannabis dependence
- 23 Treatment of nicotine dependence
- 24 Treatment of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders
- 25 Pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia
- 26 Psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia
- 27 Psychopharmacology of mood disorders
- 28 Efficacy of brain stimulation and neurosurgical procedures for treatment of mood disorders
- 29 Psychotherapy for depression: current empirical status and future directions
- 30 Alternative therapies for mood disorders
- 31 Treatment of generalised anxiety and somatoform disorders
- 32 Panic disorder
- 33 Specific phobias and agoraphobia
- 34 Social phobia
- 35 Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- 36 Post-traumatic stress disorders and adjustment disorders
- 37 Psychopharmacology of eating disorders
- 38 Other somatic physical treatments and complex interventions for eating disorders
- 39 Psychological treatments for eating disorders
- 40 Educational interventions for eating disorders
- 41 Alternative treatments for eating disorders
- 42 Complex treatments for eating disorders
- 43 Personality disorder
- 44 Other treatments for persistent disturbances of behaviour
- 45 Effectiveness of treatments of sexual disorders
- 46 Disorders of gender identity
- 47 Psychological treatments for children and adolescents
- 48 Drugs and other physical treatments
- 49 Educational interventions and alternative treatments
- 50 Attachment insecurity and attachment disorder
- 51 Feeding and sleeping disorders in infancy and early childhood
- 52 Evaluating interventions for children with autism and intellectual disabilities
- 53 ADHD and hyperkinetic disorder
- 54 Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder
- 55 Treatment of depressive disorders in children and adolescents
- 56 Treatment of psychoses in children and adolescents
- 57 Anxiety disorders
- 58 Treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents
- Appendix I Summary of specific drugs having evidence of effectiveness in mental disorders
- Appendix II Key to effectiveness tables
- Index
- References
31 - Treatment of generalised anxiety and somatoform disorders
from Part III - Specific treatments
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Summary of treatment modalities in psychiatric disorders
- Part III Specific treatments
- 9 Delirium
- 10 Management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and acquired brain injury
- 11 Dementia: pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and guideline review
- 12 Pharmacological treatment of psychosis and depression in neurological disease in older adults
- 13 Psychological treatments of alcohol use disorders
- 14 Pharmacotherapy of alcohol misuse, dependence and withdrawal
- 15 Educational interventions for alcohol use disorders
- 16 Complex interventions for alcohol use disorders
- 17 Complementary and alternative medicine for alcohol misuse
- 18 Empirically validated psychological therapies for drug dependence
- 19 Treatment of stimulant dependence
- 20 Treatment of opioid dependence
- 21 Treatment of sedative-hypnotic dependence
- 22 Treatment of cannabis dependence
- 23 Treatment of nicotine dependence
- 24 Treatment of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders
- 25 Pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia
- 26 Psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia
- 27 Psychopharmacology of mood disorders
- 28 Efficacy of brain stimulation and neurosurgical procedures for treatment of mood disorders
- 29 Psychotherapy for depression: current empirical status and future directions
- 30 Alternative therapies for mood disorders
- 31 Treatment of generalised anxiety and somatoform disorders
- 32 Panic disorder
- 33 Specific phobias and agoraphobia
- 34 Social phobia
- 35 Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- 36 Post-traumatic stress disorders and adjustment disorders
- 37 Psychopharmacology of eating disorders
- 38 Other somatic physical treatments and complex interventions for eating disorders
- 39 Psychological treatments for eating disorders
- 40 Educational interventions for eating disorders
- 41 Alternative treatments for eating disorders
- 42 Complex treatments for eating disorders
- 43 Personality disorder
- 44 Other treatments for persistent disturbances of behaviour
- 45 Effectiveness of treatments of sexual disorders
- 46 Disorders of gender identity
- 47 Psychological treatments for children and adolescents
- 48 Drugs and other physical treatments
- 49 Educational interventions and alternative treatments
- 50 Attachment insecurity and attachment disorder
- 51 Feeding and sleeping disorders in infancy and early childhood
- 52 Evaluating interventions for children with autism and intellectual disabilities
- 53 ADHD and hyperkinetic disorder
- 54 Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder
- 55 Treatment of depressive disorders in children and adolescents
- 56 Treatment of psychoses in children and adolescents
- 57 Anxiety disorders
- 58 Treatment of eating disorders in children and adolescents
- Appendix I Summary of specific drugs having evidence of effectiveness in mental disorders
- Appendix II Key to effectiveness tables
- Index
- References
Summary
Editor's note
This subject, as indicated in the first section of this book, is a somewhat controversial one as generalised anxiety disorder has only recently achieved a level of diagnostic acceptability in the medical profession. The doubts have been expressed particularly in primary care where most of these disorders are treated. What is undoubtedly true is that generalised anxiety however, it is formulated in diagnostic terms, is extremely common and the syndrome is probably the most common seen in clinical practice. It is closely accompanied by somatoform disorders in terms of frequency so these two disorders cover most of mental illness. Common diseases usually offer hundreds of remedies and these two disorders do not disappoint this expectation. The account below indicates a good degree of consensus over general strategies of management, but the detail is all important and it is likely that a set of combined treatments at different times will be needed for these common and persistent conditions.
Generalised anxiety disorder is a persistent, common and pervasive condition of unfocused worry and anxiety, twice as common in women than men, that is not restricted to a particular setting or event, although changes in circumstances may aggravate the symptoms. Like all anxiety disorders (see Part I) it has both psychological (restlessness, irritability, sleep disturbance, feelings of threat and nervous tension) and somatic or bodily feelings (palpitations, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, nausea, dry mouth and sweating), the latter being recognised as part of the anxiety syndrome in generalised anxiety disorder but independent in the case of the somatoform disorders.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry , pp. 525 - 541Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008