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Anxiety Disorders: Pharmacists Module 4, 2018
Everyone occasionally experiences fear and anxiety. Fear is an emotional, physical and behavioural response to an immediately recognisable external threat, while anxiety is a distressing, unpleasant emotional state of nervousness and uneasiness and its causes are less clear. There is also a difference between anxiety and stress. While most people can cope with a certain amount of stress, anxiety is a disorder that requires management.
Anxiety occurs in a wide range of physical and mental disorders, but it is the predominant symptom in an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders (e.g. panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder) are the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and are associated with a high burden of illness. They can affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives.
Anxiety disorders are often under-recognised and under-treated in primary care.
This module discusses the more frequently occurring anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder and their management.
