Serotonin and anxiety: Current models

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dc.contributor.authorStein D.J.
dc.contributor.authorStahl S.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:59:18Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:59:18Z
dc.date.issued2000
dc.description.abstractEvidence for the importance of the serotonin system in anxiety disorders has increased substantially in recent years. Although preclinical research has provided an important source of hypotheses, clinical work on the value of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in these conditions has been particularly persuasive. In this paper, a number of models of serotonin in the anxiety disorders are reviewed, and the clinical advantages of the SSRIs in anxiety disorders are emphasized. Models of serotonin in anxiety disorders include: 1) a 'see-saw model'; 2) an 'amygdala model'; and 3) a 'basal ganglia model'. While any simplistic schema in this complex area must fail, these various models have some heuristic value for the clinician. From a clinical perspective, the availability of the SSRIs has proved a significant step forward in the treatment of the anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder (social phobia); certainly these agents offer several advantages over previously existing pharmacotherapeutic alternatives such as the benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
dc.description.versionConference Paper
dc.identifier.citationInternational Clinical Psychopharmacology
dc.identifier.citation15
dc.identifier.citationSUPPL. 2
dc.identifier.issn2681315
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/11109
dc.subjectbenzodiazepine derivative
dc.subjectserotonin uptake inhibitor
dc.subjecttricyclic antidepressant agent
dc.subjectanxiety neurosis
dc.subjectconference paper
dc.subjectobsession
dc.subjectpanic
dc.subjectposttraumatic stress disorder
dc.subjectpriority journal
dc.subjectserotoninergic system
dc.subjectsocial phobia
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectAnxiety
dc.subjectAnxiety Disorders
dc.subjectBrain Chemistry
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectModels, Neurological
dc.subjectSerotonin
dc.subjectSerotonin Uptake Inhibitors
dc.titleSerotonin and anxiety: Current models
dc.typeConference Paper
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