Pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of the mental disorders, and good translational models of these conditions encourage pharmacotherapy studies. This chapter discusses six randomized clinical trials that have contributed significantly to the pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Although any such list is necessarily incomplete, these selections may shed light on early and ongoing challenges in the field and on key advances to date. After reviewing these foundational papers, the advances they represent, and the work that they have given impetus to, the chapter closes by considering future directions in work on the pharmacotherapy of anxiety and related disorders.