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Pharmacotherapy of Anxiety

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Anxiety and Anxiolytic Drugs

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 169))

Abstract

The pharmacological treatment of anxiety has a long and chequered history, and recent years have seen a rich development in the options available to prescribers. Most of the currently used anxiolytic agents act via monoaminergic (chiefly serotonin) or amino acid (GABA or glutamate) neurotransmitters, and this chapter describes the pharmacology of the major drug groups. Clinical applications are discussed with respect to the five major anxiety disorders, as well as simple phobia and depression with concomitant anxiety. Prospective future developments in the field are considered.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK

    J.R. Nash & D.J. Nutt

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  1. J.R. Nash
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  2. D.J. Nutt
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie, Kraepelinstr. 10, 80804, München, Germany

    Florian Holsboer

  2. Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Charité Campus Mitte, Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Schuhmannstr. 20/21, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Ströhle

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Nash, J., Nutt, D. (2005). Pharmacotherapy of Anxiety. In: Holsboer, F., Ströhle, A. (eds) Anxiety and Anxiolytic Drugs. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 169. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28082-0_17

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