Demographics, treatment seeking, and diagnoses of anxiety support group participants.

Two peer-led anxiety disorder support groups were surveyed to ascertain characteristics of individuals seeking the services of these groups. Both groups had received information and consultation from the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. One hundred and eighty-four individuals were interviewed for diagnosis by structured clinical interview; demographics and treatment-seeking behaviors were ascertained by self-report questionnaires.

Discontinuation of clonazepam in the treatment of social phobia.

Patients with social phobia who responded well to 6 months of open-label treatment with clonazepam were assigned to receive either continuation treatment (CT) with clonazepam for another 5 months, or to undergo discontinuation treatment (DT) using a clonazepam taper at the rate of 0.25 mg every 2 weeks, with double-blind placebo substitution. Clinical efficacy was compared between the CT and DT groups using three different social phobia scales.

The eight-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale: a brief measure to assess treatment outcome in post-traumatic stress disorder.

This preliminary report describes a new brief interview based assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder using an 8-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale (TOP-8). The TOP-8 was developed from a larger post-traumatic stress disorder evaluation scale based on items which occurred frequently in the population and which responded substantially to treatment across time. The 8 resultant items were drawn from all three symptom clusters for post-traumatic stress disorder, and showed an improved ability to detect drug versus placebo differences in comparison with the original scale.

The Brief Social Phobia Scale: a psychometric evaluation.

The Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS) is an observer-rated scale designed to assess the characteristic symptoms of social phobia, using three subscales-fear, avoidance, and physiological arousal-which may be combined into a total score. Each of 18 BSPS items is anchored to a 5-point rating scale. Psychometric evaluation of the BSPS in a sample of 275 social-phobia patients yielded a high level of reliability and validity.

Assessment of a new self-rating scale for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: In post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) there is a need for self-rating scales that are sensitive to treatment effects and have been tested in a broad range of trauma survivors. Separate measures of frequency and severity may also provide an advantage.

Methods: Three hundred and fifty-three men and women completed the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), a 17-item scale measuring each DSM-IV symptom of PTSD on 5-point frequency and severity scales.

A 2-year follow-up of social phobia. Status after a brief medication trial.

Although social phobia is thought to be a chronic disorder, little is known about its long-term course in patients who engage in brief treatment studies. We, therefore, conducted a follow-up study of social phobics who had participated in a brief, placebo-controlled treatment trial of clonazepam. Of the original 75 subjects, 56 were assessed through telephone interview and self-report questionnaires that evaluated current social phobia symptoms.

Depression in patients with coronary artery disease.

Depression is more prevalent in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) than in the general elderly population. Although CAD patients with depression have higher mortality rates, depression is often not recognized and treated in these patients. We administered structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews to 99 inpatients with CAD and diagnosed 23% with a major depressive episode (MDE) by DSM-IV criteria.