THE GROWTH OF RESEARCH ON ANXIETY DISORDERS DURING THE 1980S

PsycLIT and Medline, two computerized databases, were used to determin e the number of articles on anxiety disorders published each year from 1981-1990. The results showed that the proportion of articles on anxi ety disorders listed in PsycLIT and Medline increased dramatically dur ing the 1980s, especially during the last half of the decade. The anxi ety disorders most frequently researched were panic disorder, obsessiv e compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Far fewer ab stracts were associated with generalized anxiety disorder, social phob ia, and simple phobia. Factors that might have been instrumental in th e increased research activity on anxiety disorders are discussed.