Editorial [Hot Topic: New Developments in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Executive Editors: T.C. Baghai and R. Rupprecht)]

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling disorders, which are commonly treated using pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic approaches. Benzodiazepines are widely used in the treatment of acute anxiety states whereas both serotonergic acting antidepressants and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ergic substances represent standard treatments on the long term. Due to the dependence potential of the first mentioned pharmacological group and the slow onset of action and the specific side effect profile of the latter groups, there is need for new pharmacologic anxiolytic treatment strategies. In this issue of CPD, new insights in pathophysiological mechanisms of anxiety disorders together with information about actual available and novel anxiolytic acting drugs are provided.