The book is part of a series on Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, which has as its focus anxiety and its treatment. We have brought together a distinguished cadre of authors with the aim of covering a broad array of topics related to anxiety disorders, ranging from clinical diagnosis, epidemiology, preclinical neuroscience, and animal models to established and innovative therapeutic approaches. The book aims at bridging these disciplines to provide an update of literature relevant to understanding anxiety, its consequences, and its management. Following is a brief overview of the chapters and their content, meant to serve as a guide to navigating the book. The ?rst section covers clinical aspects of anxiety disorders. Joe Bienvenu and colleagues provide an incisive overview of diagnostic considerations in the anxiety disorders in which they emphasize the strengths and shortcomings of our current nosologic systems. This is followed by a review and update of the epidemiology of anxiety disorders by Ron Kessler and colleagues, which provides an authoritative survey of anxiety disorder incidence, prevalence, and risk factors. This is comp- mented by a comprehensive review of the literature on disorders that co-occur with anxiety disorders by Kathleen Merikangas and Sonja Alsemgeest Swanson. Their review highlights the tremendous comorbidity that occurs not only within the anxiety disorders, but also with other mental and physical health conditions.

Anxiety Disorders Diagnosis: Some History and Controversies

Epidemiology of Anxiety Disorders
Comorbidity in Anxiety Disorders
Genetics
Neuroanatomy of Anxiety
Stress and the Neuroendocrinology of Anxiety Disorders
Animal Models of Anxiety and Anxiolytic Drug Action
Genetic Approaches to Modeling Anxiety in Animals
Behavioral Correlates of Anxiety
Challenging Anxiety: A Focus on the Specificity of Respiratory Symptoms
Functional Neuroanatomy of Anxiety: A Neural Circuit Perspective
Pharmacological Enhancement of Behavioral Therapy: Focus on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The Pharmacology of Anxiety
GABAA Receptor ?2/?3 Subtype-Selective Modulators as Potential Nonsedating Anxiolytics
Antidepressant Treatment in Anxiety Disorders
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors: Their Therapeutic Potential in Anxiety
Developing Small Molecule Nonpeptidergic Drugs for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: Is the Challenge Still Ahead?
Cannabinoids and Anxiety
Pharmacological Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Pharmacologic Treatment of Panic Disorder
Pharmacotherapy of Social Anxiety Disorder
Pharmacotherapy of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Pharmacological Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.