Michelle G. Craske

Anxiety disorders in older adults: a comprehensive review†

This review aims to address issues unique to older adults with anxiety disorders in order to inform potential changes in the DSM‐V. Prevalence and symptom expression of anxiety disorders in late life, as well as risk factors, comorbidity, cognitive decline, age of onset, and treatment efficacy for older adults are reviewed. Overall, the current literature suggests: (a) anxiety disorders are common among older age individuals, but less common than in younger adults; (b) overlap exists between anxiety symptoms of younger and older adults, although there are some differences as well as limitations to the assessment of symptoms among older adults; (c) anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with depression in older adults; (d) anxiety disorders are highly comorbid with a number of medical illnesses; (e) associations between cognitive decline and anxiety have been observed; (f) late age of onset is infrequent; and (g) both pharmacotherapy and CBT have demonstrated efficacy for older adults with anxiety. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for the DSM‐V are provided, including extending the text section on age‐specific features of anxiety disorders in late life and providing information about the complexities of diagnosing anxiety disorders in older adults. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

What is an anxiety disorder

Initiated as part of the ongoing deliberation about the nosological structure of DSM, this review aims to evaluate whether the anxiety disorders share features of responding that define them and make them distinct from depressive disorders, and/or that differentiate fear disorders from anxious‐misery disorders. The review covers symptom self‐report as well as on‐line indices of behavioral, physiological, cognitive, and neural responding in the presence of aversive stimuli. The data indicate that the anxiety disorders share self‐reported symptoms of anxiety and fear; heightened anxiety and fear responding to cues that signal threat, cues that signal no threat, cues that formerly signaled threat, and contexts associated with threat; elevated stress reactivity to aversive stimuli; attentional biases to threat‐relevant stimuli and threat‐based appraisals of ambiguous stimuli; and elevated amygdala responses to threat‐relevant stimuli. Some differences exist among anxiety disorders, and between anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. However, the differences are not fully consistent with proposed subdivisions of fear disorders vs. anxious misery disorders, and comparative data in large part are lacking. Given the high rates of co‐morbidity, advances in our understanding of the features of responding that are shared across vs. unique to anxiety and depressive disorders will require dimensional approaches. In summary, the extant data help to define the features of responding that are shared across anxiety disorders, but are insufficient to justify revisions to the DSM nosology at this time. Depression and Anxiety, 2009.

Generalized worry disorder : a review of DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder and options for DSM-V

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has undergone a series of substantial classificatory changes since its first inclusion in DSM‐III. The majority of these revisions have been in response to its poor inter‐rater reliability and concerns that it may lack diagnostic validity. This article provides options for the revision of the DSM‐IV GAD criteria for DSM‐V. Method: First, searches were conducted to identify the evidence that previous DSM Work Groups relied upon when revising the DSM‐III‐R GAD and the overanxious disorder classifications. Second, the literature pertaining to the DSM‐IV criteria for GAD was examined. Conclusions: The review presents a number of options to be considered for DSM‐V. One option is for GAD to be re‐labeled in DSM‐V as generalized worry disorder. This would reflect its hallmark feature. Proposed revisions would result in a disorder that is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry generalized to a number of events or activities for 3 months or more. Worry acts as a cognitive coping strategy that manifests in avoidant behaviors. The reliability and validity of the proposed changes could be investigated in DSM‐V validity tests and field trials. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

Specific phobia: a review of DSM‐IV specific phobia and preliminary recommendations for DSM‐V

The present review was conducted in order to evaluate the current diagnostic criteria for specific phobia (SP) in light of the empirical evidence gathered since DSM‐IV and to propose changes to DSM‐V where change is clearly and reliably indicated by the evidence. In response to questions put forth by the DSM‐V Anxiety, OC Spectrum, Posttraumatic, and Dissociative Disorder Work Group, four primary areas were determined for this review: the accuracy and utility of the current SP type classification system, the validity of test anxiety as a type of SP, the boundary between agoraphobia and SP, and the reliability and utility of the diagnostic criteria for SP. Developmental issues are addressed within each area. Literature reviews examining academic findings published between 1994 and 2009 were carried out and the results are included herein. The review presents a number of options and preliminary recommendations to be considered for DSM‐V. All of these recommendations should be considered tentative as they await the field trials and expert consensus necessary prior to their inclusion in the DSM‐V. The present review also reveals a great need for future research in the area of SP and directions for such research is provided. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

Computer-assisted delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders in primary-care settings†

Objectives: This article describes a computer‐assisted cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed to support the delivery of evidenced‐based CBT for the four most commonly occurring anxiety disorders (panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder) in primary‐care settings. The purpose of the current report is to (1) present the structure and format of the computer‐assisted CBT program, and (2) to present evidence for acceptance of the program by clinicians and the effectiveness of the program for patients. Methods: Thirteen clinicians using the computer‐assisted CBT program with patients in our ongoing Coordinated Anxiety Learning and Management study provided Likert‐scale ratings and open‐ended responses about the program. Rating scale data from 261 patients who completed at least one CBT session were also collected Results: Overall, the program was highly rated and modally described as very helpful. Results indicate that the patients fully participated (i.e., attendance and homework compliance), understood the program material, and acquired CBT skills. In addition, significant and substantial improvements occurred to the same degree in randomly audited subsets of each of the four primary anxiety disorders (N=74), in terms of self ratings of anxiety, depression, and expectations for improvement. Conclusions: Computer‐assisted CBT programs provide a practice‐based system for disseminating evidence‐based mental health treatment in primary‐care settings while maintaining treatment fidelity, even in the hands of novice clinicians. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. Published 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Culture and the anxiety disorders: recommendations for DSM-V.

Background: The anxiety disorders specified in the fourth edition, text revision, of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM‐IV‐TR) are identified universally in human societies, and also show substantial cultural particularities in prevalence and symptomatology. Possible explanations for the observed epidemiological variability include lack of measurement equivalence, true differences in prevalence, and limited validity or precision of diagnostic criteria. One central question is whether, through inadvertent “over‐specification” of disorders, the post‐DSM‐III nosology has missed related but somewhat different presentations of the same disorder because they do not exactly fit specified criteria sets. This review canvases the mental health literature for evidence of cross‐cultural limitations in DSM‐IV‐TR anxiety disorder criteria. Methods: Searches were conducted of the mental health literature, particularly since 1994, regarding cultural or race/ethnicity‐related factors that might limit the universal applicability of the diagnostic criteria for six anxiety disorders. Results: Possible mismatches between the DSM criteria and the local phenomenology of the disorder in specific cultural contexts were found for three anxiety disorders in particular. These involve the unexpectedness and 10‐minute crescendo criteria in Panic Disorder; the definition of social anxiety and social reference group in Social Anxiety Disorder; and the priority given to psychological symptoms of worry in Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Limited evidence was found throughout, particularly in terms of neurobiological markers, genetic risk factors, treatment response, and other DSM‐V validators that could help clarify the cross‐cultural applicability of criteria. Conclusions: On the basis of the available data, options and preliminary recommendations for DSM‐V are put forth that should be further evaluated and tested. Depression and Anxiety, 2010© 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Agoraphobia: a review of the diagnostic classificatory position and criteria

The status of agoraphobia (AG) as an independent diagnostic category is reviewed and preliminary options and recommendations for the fifth edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM‐V) are presented. The review concentrates on epidemiology, psychopathology, neurobiology, vulnerability and risk factors, clinical course and outcome, and correlates and consequences of AG since 1990. Differences and similarities across conventions and criteria of DSM and ICD‐10 are considered. Three core questions are addressed. First, what is the evidence for AG as a diagnosis independent of panic disorder? Second, should AG be conceptualized as a subordinate form of panic disorder (PD) as currently stipulated in DSM‐IV‐TR? Third, is there evidence for modifying or changing the current diagnostic criteria? We come to the conclusion that AG should be conceptualized as an independent disorder with more specific criteria rather than a subordinate, residual form of PD as currently stipulated in DSM‐IV‐TR. Among other issues, this conclusion was based on psychometric evaluations of the construct, epidemiological investigations which show that AG can exist independently of panic disorder, and the impact of agoraphobic avoidance upon clinical course and outcome. However, evidence from basic and clinic validation studies remains incomplete and partly contradictory. The apparent advantages of a more straightforward, simpler classification without implicit hierarchies and insufficiently supported differential diagnostic considerations, plus the option for improved further research, led to favoring the separate diagnostic criteria for AG as a diagnosis independent of panic disorder. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

Diagnostic Overlap of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder in a Primary Care Sample

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are highly comorbid. A possible explanation is that they share four symptoms according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—Fourth Edition—Text Revision (DSM‐IV‐TR). The present study addressed the symptom overlap of people meeting DSM‐IV‐TR diagnostic criteria for GAD, MDD, or both to investigate whether comorbidity might be explained by overlapping diagnostic criteria.

Social anxiety disorder in DSM-5

With the publication of DSM‐5, the diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder (SAD, also known as social phobia) have undergone several changes, which have important conceptual and clinical implications. In this paper, we first provide a brief history of the diagnosis. We then review a number of these changes, including (1) the primary name of the disorder, (2) the increased emphasis on fear of negative evaluation, (3) the importance of sociocultural context in determining whether an anxious response to a social situation is out of proportion to the actual threat, (4) the diagnosis of SAD in the context of a medical condition, and (5) the way in which we think about variations in the presentation of SAD (the specifier issue). We then consider the clinical implications of changes in DSM‐5 related to these issues.

PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT MEDIATES ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOM CHANGES FOLLOWING PRIMARY CARE INTERVENTION

The current study tested whether perceived social support serves as a mediator of anxiety and depressive symptom change following evidence‐based anxiety treatment in the primary care setting. Gender, age, and race were tested as moderators.