Evidence-based treatment of geriatric anxiety disorders

Available data point to the potential value of pharmacologic and cognitive-behavioral interventions for the treatment of late-life anxiety disorders, with modest improvement and response rates in most cases. Further efficacy work is needed to investigate the impact of improved psychosocial approaches that allow for more idiosyncratic attention to the needs of older patients and outcomes following a broader range of pharmacologic treatments. Attention in this work needs to be given to long-term outcomes and generalizability of findings to broader and more representative samples of older patients. Additional effectiveness work also is needed to address the value of various treatment options in the settings where older adults typically receive care (eg, primary care, community-based programs) and to the methods for optimal dissemination of evidence-based interventions.