Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons for consult requests.

★ Anxiety disorders are extremely common, with a lifetime prevalence of about 25% and a 12-month prevalence of 17%. Women are more likely to have an anxiety disorder than men with the ratio being 2:1

Sometimes anxiety can be due to an associated medical condition. The list of such conditions is long, and ranges from angina to hypothyroidism to medications. It is important to differentiate anxiety that is likely to resolve (e.g., from stimulant use) versus that which will need ongoing treatment (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder).

At other times, anxiety disorders can exacerbate medical conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, angina, arrhythmias, and hypertension.

The anxiety disorders include panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

★ Most cases of generalized anxiety disorder can be diagnosed by asking: "In the past four weeks, how often have you been bothered by feeling nervous, anxious, on edge, or worrying a lot about different things?"