ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the neurobiology of normal fear and anxiety. It then examines the pathology and the pharmacological treatment of several of the most prevalent anxiety disorders. Several cortical areas are also important for fear as well as for other emotional responses. Two areas within the prefrontal cortex—the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex—are particularly important. The chapter describes two types of anxiety disorders: panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, The diagnosis of panic disorder requires the repeated and unexpected occurrence of panic attacks and at least one month of persistent worry about having other attacks or about the consequences of these attacks. Generalized anxiety disorder typically emerges in early adolescence or adulthood. The use of barbiturates to treat anxiety and insomnia has largely been discontinued because of severe side effects. Inositol has been reputed to treat panic disorders, generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and depression.
