Treatment Options for General Anxiety Disorder

According to the diagnostical and statistical manual of mental disorders, general anxiety disorder is one and a half to three times more common among first-degree biological relatives of persons with the disease, than among the general population. Other features can also be present, such as the presence of psychosis that can further categorize the type of anxiety present. The type of antidepressant therapy prescribed by the psychiatrist should be specific for the type of symptoms present, and may require more than one medication. Psychotherapy is also recommended in conjunction with antidepressants and other prescribed medication, to treat the psychological basis for the anxiety, to decrease the occurrence of symptoms, and therefore decrease the need for medications.