Current status of standardized treatment for anxiety disorders

  Anxiety disorders are serious diseases caused by a combination of environmental, individual and biological factors that lead to changes in chemicals in the brain, including panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. In recent years, the incidence of patients with anxiety disorders in China has been on the rise. According to the projection of domestic epidemiological survey data, the number of patients may reach 50-60 million, but in contrast, only 16.5% of patients have received relevant treatment.  WHO survey shows that the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders in China is 4.8%, and the 12-month prevalence is 3%. According to domestic epidemiological survey data, the number of patients may reach 50-60 million. Professor Ji Jianlin, director of the Department of Psychological Medicine at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, pointed out that not only is the prevalence of anxiety disorders high, but there is also a high rate of disability, for example, patients with panic disorder have twice as much suicidal ideation and suicide attempts as patients with other mental illnesses, and 20 times more than those without mental illness. At the same time, anxiety disorders have a high co-morbidity rate with other disorders such as depressive disorders, a high relapse rate, and a tendency to form a chronic course, including social anxiety disorder with an average duration of 20 years, which seriously affects the psychological growth of adolescents and places a burden on families and society.  How to control the incidence and disability rate of anxiety disorders is an urgent issue facing the whole society. However, the diagnosis rate of anxiety disorders in China is very low, and patients often repeatedly visit various clinical departments for various mood-related somatic symptoms, such as headache, bloating, palpitations, chest tightness, etc. Only 16.5% of patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders either receive psychiatric-related medication or are recommended for psychological or psychiatric referrals.  In this regard, Professor Ji emphasized, “Patients with anxiety disorders should seek appropriate medication or psychotherapy from a professional physician, and medication is appropriate for all levels of severity of anxiety disorders. For patients with mild and moderate anxiety disorders, medication should be used appropriately along with psychotherapy such as relaxation training and social skills training.”