Anxiety disorder: An overview

Abstract

Anxiety is a psychological disorder characterised by persistent and disproportionate fear unrelated to any genuine risk. Preclinical studies have shown that the amygdala plays a key role in fear circuitry, and that abnormalities in amygdala pathways can affect the acquisition and expression of fear conditioning. Drugs such as glutamate N-methyl- D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists, and blockers of voltage-gated calcium channels, in the amygdala, may block these effects. The original treatment indicated for those suffering from neurotic anxiety was to employ psychotherapy to facilitate changes in behaviour and coping with stressful events. The Food and Drug Administration originally approved many gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) facilitating drugs since the 1960s for anxiety treatment. This review reveals the underlying pathophysiology and drug therapy of anxiety disorder.