THE LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER - ISSUES ANDDILEMMAS

Accumulating evidence suggests that a large proportion of patients dia gnosed with generalized anxiety disorder suffer from a chronic or recu rrent condition that is associated with a moderate amount of disabilit y and impairment in quality of life. Acute drug therapy is well studie d and appears to be highly effective in providing symptom relief, but relapse/recurrence is high. Little research has been reported that ide ntifies predictors of recurrence or studies the clinical parameters of maintenance drug therapy, including benefit-risk assessments or optim al doses or durations of treatment.