Pharmacologic Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in 1989 versus 1996: Results from the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Disorders Research Program

Reports on the pharmacologic treatment of patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) enrolled in a naturalistic long-term study of anxiety disorders, with enrollment in 1989–1991 (T1) and follow-up in 1996 (T2). 711 patients were enrolled at T1. At intake, 167 Ss met criteria for GAD; at T2, 103 Ss met these criteria. The Ss were divided into 3 groups by diagnosis: GAD alone (18 Ss at T1, 11 at T2), GAD comorbid with another anxiety disorder (84 Ss at T1, 52 at T2), and GAD comorbid with major depressive disorder, with or without another anxiety disorder (65 Ss at T1, 40 at T2). The groups were evaluated at intake and follow-up on whether they received medication and the types of medication they received. Nearly one-third of Ss in the T1 sample were not receiving any medication for treatment of their anxiety disorder; at T2, 27% of Ss still were receiving no medication. There was a decrease in benzodiazepine treatment and an increase in antidepressant treatment at T2 for GAD Ss who did not have comorbid depression or another anxiety disorder. The findings on medication type suggest a shift in the type of medications being prescribed for treatment of GAD from exclusive benzodiazepine treatment to the combination of benzodiazepine and antidepressant treatment.