ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case of a 34-year-old bank manager who attends the general practice surgery with her 8-year-old son, who is suffering from asthma. She appears tremulous and becomes tearful while talking about his problem. She says that she has been very worried about her son and has not been sleeping very well for the past 5-6 months. She agrees to a brief physical examination. She has a tachycardia of 108 beats per minute, her pulse is regular and her blood pressure is 138/88 mm Hg. Her palms appear cold and sweaty but there is no other significant physical finding. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines suggest that when depressive and anxious symptoms coexist, the first priority should usually be to treat the depression. Psychological treatment for depression often reduces anxiety, and many antidepressants also have sedative/anxiolytic effects.
