[Insufficient consideration for anxiety disorders in the elderly]

The elderly often present with anxiety disorders in primary care, and specific treatment options in that setting are needed. In a randomised clinical trial, 7 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy performed in the primary care setting by very experienced cognitive behavioural therapists was found to reduce worry, depressive symptoms and general health symptoms. However, severity of generalised anxiety disorder did not improve, and medication use did not diminish during the intervention. In the Dutch primary care setting, implementation of such a therapeutic option would require an organisational intervention. Moreover, such an intervention should be combined with an intervention aimed at reducing benzodiazepine use, i.e. in a collaborative care model specifically designed for anxiety disorder in the elderly