Highlights

Anxiety Disorders and Physical Health

• Anxiety disorders affect more than emotional health -- they are also associated with many physical illnesses, suggests important new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers found an association between anxiety disorders and thyroid, respiratory, gastrointestinal, arthritis, migraine, and allergic conditions.
• Obesity may both contribute to and result from anxiety disorders, according to two 2006 studies. One study reported that obese people have a 25% increased risk for developing anxiety disorders. The other study indicated that anxiety and depression in childhood predict a higher body mass index in adulthood for women (but not men).

Telephone-Based Therapy

Cognitive behavioral counseling over the telephone works just as well for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as in-person visits, indicates a 2006 study in the British Medical Journal. A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reports that telephone-based therapy is helpful for patients with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

Genetics and OCD

Scientists have identified a gene that may play an important role in OCD that develops in early childhood. In two separate studies in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers reported an association between the SL1A1 gene and early-onset OCD in males. The SL1A1 gene regulates the brain chemical messenger glutamate, a neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory.

Antidepressants and Pregnancy

In 2006, the FDA issued a public health advisory concerning the use of antidepressants during pregnancy and risks for newborn babies. The FDA noted a New England Journal of Medicine study that found that babies born to mothers who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs after the 20th week of pregnancy had an increased risk for serious lung problems. In 2005, the FDA warned that use of paroxetine (Paxil) during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk for heart-related birth defects.

Antidepressants and Suicide Risk

The manufacturer of paroxetine has added to its prescribing label a warning on increased suicide risk for young adults. Paroxetine has also been linked to increased suicidal tendencies in children.

Review Date: 12/21/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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