Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders in Older Adults

doi:10.1017/9781139087469.003

Chapter 3 - Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders in Older Adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 March 2021

Christina Bryant

Edited by

Gerard J. Byrne and

Nancy A. Pachana

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Gerard J. Byrne: Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Nancy A. Pachana: Affiliation:
University of Queensland

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Summary

Debates about diagnosis in psychiatry and clinical psychology are both ever-present and controversial. They have recently gained greater prominence in the context of the publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association (2013). On the one hand, some authors are concerned that diagnostic processes impose unhelpful labels on human experience and lead to an over-reliance on their imperfect categories (Healy, 2011), while others suggest that the importance of diagnosis is growing rather than diminishing (Craddock & Mynors-Wallis, 2014). It is well documented that there are a number of features of anxiety disorders in older adults that pose specific challenges to both recognition and diagnosis (Bryant, 2010). This chapter considers some of the factors that make the diagnosis of anxiety disorders particularly complex in older adults.

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Type: Chapter
Information: Anxiety in Older People
Clinical and Research Perspectives
, pp. 20 - 32

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781139087469.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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