ANXIETY - THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS FROM PAST TO PRESENT

Abstract

Anxiety is a diffuse fear of an object, rather potential than present, it is detached from concrete and projected in the future. It associates psychomotor restlessness and has neurovegetative response. Anxious symptoms create a discomfort that patients experience with great difficulty. Whether we are talking about generalized anxiety, or we are talking about anxious paroxysms, patients call for help, sometimes in Emergency Room (ER) because of irrational fear of death, or fear of madness. The anxiety disorder is common in all medical healthcare offices, but especially in psychiatry. The therapeutic attitude is based on the same principles everywhere, but there are situations in which the treatment differs and psychotic anxiety, the particular form requiring admission into specialized service, is under discussion here. If in the past, the first intention was benzodiazepine (BZD) anxiolytics at the moment, they are increasingly finding their place in the therapeutic scheme. The beneficial effect installs quickly, but when balancing the balance versus risk, balances often tend to overcome the anxiolytic classics. Nowadays, more frequently, protocols recommend administering SSRI antidepressants to treat anxiety. In the case of emergency in which anxiety occupies a main place, such as psychotic anxiety, it is necessary to prescribe antipsychotics, especially atypical antipsychotics. For these reasons, we aim to share our experience for patient benefit.