Stem

You are the GP. Anxious presentations fill the morning list; the registrar asks why each one needs its own pathway. ^[1]

Branch A — Classification that changes treatment

Examiner: Are GAD, panic and social anxiety really different diseases? ^[1]

Strong answer: They are distinct symptom syndromes with shared first-line treatments. GAD: excessive, hard-to-control worry across domains more days than not for at least six months. Panic disorder: recurrent unexpected discrete attacks plus concern about attacks or avoidance. Social anxiety: fear of scrutiny with avoidance. Specific phobia and agoraphobia differ by trigger. The WFSBP guideline evaluated over 1000 RCTs across these conditions and converged on one message — SSRIs/SNRIs first-line drugs, CBT first-line psychotherapy — which is precisely why the grouping matters less than matching the right modality to severity and preference. ^[1]