Anxiety Disorders Are Common and Undertreated in Primary Care

Compared with the strong focus on depression, less attention has been paid to anxiety disorders. Using questionnaires and interviews, U.S. researchers found that 188 of 965 consecutive patients at 15 primary care clinics had anxiety disorders, for a prevalence of 20%; 9% had post-traumatic stress disorder, 8% had generalized anxiety disorder, 7% had panic disorder, and 6% had social anxiety disorder. Overall, 41% received no medications, counseling, or psychotherapy.

Anxiety disorders were associated with physical and mental health–related problems and disability. A seven-item screening questionnaire (the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale) was 77% sensitive and 82% specific for any anxiety disorder. The first two items were less sensitive…