Anxiety disorders: CPG and associated resources

Clinical Practice Guidelines are evidence-based documents that include recommendations intended to optimise patient care and assist health care practitioners to make decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. Clinical Practice Guidelines issued by RANZCP have a limited life. They are regularly reviewed and will be updated in light of appropriate new evidence that may emerge.

Key practice points

• These guidelines provide evidence-based and consensus-based recommendations for the treatment of adults with panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and generalised anxiety disorder.
•  Consensus-based recommendations were made where there was insufficient high quality evidence to allow specific recommendations for one treatment over another.
• Initial treatment should be selected in collaboration with the patient from evidence-based options, taking into account symptom severity, patient preference, accessibility and cost. 
• Recommended initial treatment options for all three anxiety disorders are:
  • cognitive–behavioural therapy (face-to-face or delivered by computer, tablet or smart-phone application)
  • pharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor together with advice about graded exposure to anxiety triggers)
  • combination of cognitive–behavioural therapy and pharmacotherapy.

Community resources

• Information for the public on anxiety disorders