Pharmacologic treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

GAD is a severe, chronic, and distressing illness that often requires long-term management. Considerable progress has been made in the ability to help these patients. New antidepressants, such as venlafaxine, and the SSRIs provide an important treatment alternative to "traditional" anxiollytic treatments, which include the benzodiazepines, buspirone, and the TCAs; however, comparative efficacy and the effects of psychiatric comorbidity, long-term treatment, and relapse prevention are areas requiring further investigation.