Abstract
In the past two decades, major advances have been made regarding the psychopathology and treatment of anxiety disorders (Barlow, 1988; Beidel & Turner, 1991). The negative impact of these disorders on life function has been well documented, and epidemiological data have suggested that anxiety disorders comprise the second most common form of psychiatric disturbance over the lifetime in the United States, following only substance abuse disorders (Robins et al., 1984). Despite the voluminous amount of data available regarding anxiety disorders in the general population, however, the nature and treatment of these in older adults has received relatively little empirical attention. The need for additional work in this area has been emphasized on many occasions (e.g., Carstensen, 1988; Hersen & Van Hasselt, 1992; Salzman & Lebowitz, 1991), and a small body of relevant literature has begun to accumulate. The purpose of this chapter is to review the available scientific literature that addresses the epidemiology, psychopathology, assessment, and treatment of anxiety in the elderly. Given that this literature is in an early developmental stage, directions for future research also are suggested.
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Stanley, M.A., Beck, J.G. (1998). Anxiety Disorders. In: Hersen, M., Van Hasselt, V.B. (eds) Handbook of Clinical Geropsychology. The Springer Series in Adult Development and Aging. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0130-9_11
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