Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in mixed anxiety - depression

The overlap between the depressive and anxiety disorders is extremely commo n. The introduction of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has, more than any other development, bridged the gap in terms of efficacy in both sets of disorders. A substantial body of data exists suggesting tha t the available SSRIs have substantial efficacy in anxiety symptoms co-occu rring,vith depression. The clear utility of the SSRIs in disorders classifi ed apart from depression is also established. Whilst panic disorder is the best studied, evidence on the efficacy of the SSRIs in disorders that previ ously did not attract much pharmacotherapeutic interest, such as social anx iety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder is accumulating. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2000, 15 (suppl 2):S41-S45 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & W ilkins.