GAD - Treatment


 * GAD: Outcome studies
 * GAD: treatment protocols
 * GAD: treatment considerations
 * GAD: evidenced based treatment
 * GAD: theory based treatment
 * GAD: team working considerations
 * GAD: followup

Treatment
Treatments for GAD include medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy. A combination of the two has proved the most effective in alleviating symptoms; medication alone may reduce some anxiety but will not eliminate it entirely.

SSRIs are commonly used to treat GAD. Examples include SSRIs such as sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram, and escitalopram. Benzodiazepenes such as diazepam and alprazolam are sometimes used in the short-term in order to alleviate extreme cases of anxiety, but they are not safe for continuous use because of the high risk of dependency. Conversely, it is very safe for a person to be on an SSRI antidepressant for many years. The anti-anxiety drug buspirone is sometimes used in addition to or instead of SSRIs in the treatment of GAD.

SSRIs work because both anxiety and depression are thought to be associated with the neurotransmitter serotonin; thus a great deal of people who experience depression also experience anxiety symptoms. When both disorders are diagnosed, this is called comorbidity. Other antidepressant drugs such as tricyclics and MAO inhibitors are not used in the treatment of GAD.