Have no fear: Heritable neural patterns offer new potential targets for treating anxiety disorders.

Abstract

EMBO Reports (2019) 20: e47823[OpenUrl][1][FREE Full Text][2] Anxiety and related depressive disorders haunt a large number of sufferers, but treatment with pharmacological or psychological interventions has only had mixed success. One problem has been a lack of specific neurological or molecular indicators for diagnosis and to monitor therapeutic progress. However, there has been some progress recently, both in terms of elucidating some of the neural mechanisms and underlying genetic factors that are involved in anxiety and in terms of novel pharmacological interventions. This could eventually yield more specific and efficient therapies for anxiety and depressive disorders. > Mental health disorders in all categories including anxiety […] could cost the global economy up to US$16 trillion between 2010 and 2030 in the absence of a greater response. Psychologists generally classify mental conditions into internalizing, externalizing and psychotic disorders. Sufferers from internalizing disorders, including anxiety, depression and obsessive conditions such as anorexia, tend to keep symptoms to themselves. Externalizing conditions exhibit as antisocial and delinquent behaviour, while psychotic conditions include schizophrenia and some forms of bipolar disorder. These debilitating conditions have serious consequences both for patients and society at large. Mental health disorders in all categories including anxiety are on the rise in every country of the world and could cost the global economy up to US$16 trillion between 2010 and 2030 in the absence of a greater response [1]. These costs include direct healthcare spending and loss of productivity, along with spending on social welfare, education and law and order. Various surveys have identified anxiety as the most common mental disorder, affecting 1 in 15 people worldwide, ahead of mood disorders (1 in 20) and substance abuse (1 in 25) [2]. Incidence of anxiety during a lifetime is even higher at almost 1 in 8. Furthermore, anxiety disorders are the earliest … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DEMBO%2BReports%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.15252%252Fembr.201947823%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F30792214%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=FULL&journalCode=embor&resid=20/3/e47823&atom=%2Fembor%2F20%2F3%2Fe47823.atom