Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Putra Malaysia
MyJurnal

Abstract

Anxiety Disorders have been said to account for the majority of psychiatric cases treated in out patient clinics all over the world. However not much input Is being given to it in the teaching of futufe doctors mainly because although it is common it is not generally seen by students posted to psychiatry wards in Malaysia. The students have the advantage of visiting patients in the wards daily but may only spend about 20% of the entire psychiatry posting in the clinics. As such, emphasis in identifying and treating anxiety disorders becomes diminished. More time is spent on discussing management issues of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders when the likelihood of students treating anxiety disorders in primary care and family physician clinics are more after they graduate. This short editorial looks at the current trend in combining psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in anxiety pathology for the benefit of both practicing doctors and students.