V. The stigma of anxiety disorders

Abstract

People with genuine anxiety disorders can be misdiagnosed and mismanaged, because of negative public and professional attitudes to anxiety and the 'worried well'. Misdiagnosis includes not taking symptoms seriously and giving patients pejorative labels such as 'personality disorder' or 'inadequate'. This can lead to mismanagement such as reluctance to investigate symptoms fully, with regard to both physical and psychological aetiologies. Also, poor understanding of appropriate treatments can lead to mismanagement of these disorders. This paper reviews sources of stigma in dealing with anxiety disorders and ways in which this stigma might be avoided.