Treatment for anxiety disorders – when to start?

The British Association for Psychopharmacology updated its guidelines for the management of anxiety disorders in 2014.¹ These recommend that in patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder they are likely to benefit from pharmacological or psychological therapy.¹ The overall recommendation regarding initiating pharmacological treatment is to start with an SSRI, as they are known to be effective across the different subtypes of anxiety disorders, and are generally well-tolerated.¹

Reference:
1. Baldwin DS, Anderson IM, Nutt DJ, et al. Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder: a revision of the 2005 guidelines from the British Association of Pharmacology. J Psychopharmacol 2014; 28 (5): 403‒439.