Anxiety disorders and schizophrenia

Abstract

Anxiety symptoms and disorders have long been described in schizophrenia. This article reviews the epidemiology, phenomenology, and neurobiologic underpinnings of comorbid anxiety symptoms and disorders in schizophrenia. Recent literature was obtained by Medline searches using key words relating to schizophrenia and anxiety symptoms or disorders. There is some evidence that anxiety may be a core symptom dimension in schizophrenia, although further work is required. There is evidence that comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder are all more common than expected by chance in schizophrenia, although additional work is needed to determine the mechanisms that underlie these associations and their clinical implications. In the interim, however, the data emphasize the importance of assessing and treating comorbid anxiety symptoms and disorders in schizophrenia.